We’ll pay for extra police to stop robbers, say Hampstead residents

‘Since our police station was closed, crime has taken on a more violent and aggressive quality’

THE residents of one of Britain’s wealthiest neighbourhoods have offered to join forces to help pay for extra police officers after a spate of violent robberies.

Residents in Hampstead in northwest London, where homes sell for tens of millions of pounds, have drawn up plans to raise £200,000 through “crowdsourcing” to pay for a dedicated unit of Metropolitan Police officers.

The plans come amid mounting concern that violent criminals are targeting the area following the closure of the local station police station last year as part of the Met’s austerity drive.

The proposals would provide funding for two beat officers and a sergeant for three years. The Met would not be allowed to use the officers for other events in the capital. Jessica Learmond-Criqui, who chairs a local “safer neighbourhood” panel, said: “I have watched the changing face of crime in Hampstead since the 100-year-old police station was closed in January 2014.

“It has taken on a more violent and aggressive quality than we are used to.”

In July, a mother was forced to barricade herself and her baby daughter in her bathroom as raiders struck, and in another incident, two masked men held a woman robbery.

Some wealthier homeowners have hired private security firms to protect their homes, but the new proposals are being seen as a way of increasing peace of mind among householders across the whole neighbourhood.

Oliver Cooper, a Hampstead councillor, said: “Since 2010, crime has been cut by 20 per cent in Hampstead and 15 per cent across London, but with a spate of burglaries, a rise in vehicle theft and untackled anti-social behaviour near the heath, we can’t take anything for granted.

“This proposal would cost per person each year.

“As a local resident, I’d be very happy to pay that share for the peace of mind that comes from living in a more secure community.”