- Figures from the Met’s Confidence Comparator show 64% of people living in Lewisham feel the Met do not provide visible policing presence in their area
- Across the capital figures show 47% of Londoners feel the Met do not provide visible policing presence in their area
- Mayor set to miss target to increase public confidence in the Met by 20%
London Assembly Member Len Duvall AM has called on the Mayor to rethink his cuts to neighbourhood policing after new research found that 64% of people in Lewisham do not believe the Met have a visible police presence in the area.
The data, drawn from the Met’s recently launched ‘Confidence Comparator’ found that just 64% of local residents felt police were providing a visible policing presence in Lewisham with some areas of the borough seen to be worse than others. In some parts of the borough, this figure was as low as 31%.]
There is a similar picture forming across the Capital, with 47% of Londoners saying the police do not have a visible presence in their respective areas.
The figures have sparked criticism of the Mayor of London’s decision to cut back neighbourhood policing teams from six uniformed officers to only two, with Len Duvall AM calling on the Mayor to put more police officers back into boroughs. Since the current Government came to power 4,333 police officers and PCSOs have been lost from London’s streets, including 107 from Lewisham.
The Mayor commissioned a review of the new neighbourhood policing units in July 2014 but has so far refused to release the review’s findings despite concerns that the new setup is leaving neighbourhood policing stretched. The worrying confidence figures come only a week after it was revealed that violent crime in the capital rose 22% last year, rising 14% in Lewisham.
London Assembly Member Len Duvall AM said:
“With 107 fewer uniformed officers on Lewisham’s streets since the Government came to power it’s no surprise that many local people do not feel that there is a visible police presence in Lewisham.
“It’s now very likely that the Mayor will miss his target to increase public confidence by 20% and it’s not hard to see why. The cuts to police numbers and the Mayor’s decision to dismantle neighbourhood policing teams have clearly been noticed by people in Lewisham and indeed across the Capital. It’s increasingly clear that we need to see more officers back on the beat in our local neighbourhoods.”