Safe neighbourhoods
How can local communities work together with the police to make neighbourhoods safer?
How can local communities work together with the police to make neighbourhoods safer? How would you like to hear from the police? What kind of activities would you like to see in your neighbourhood?
The discussion ran from 14 September 2018 - 07 November 2018
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Log into your accountIanWeatherley
Community Member 6 years agoDefinately improve the 101 service - and improve the call handling times to reduce the call waiting times that members of the public have experienced - over 45 mIns seems an average to answer a 101 call - which is a shocking statistic and...
Show full commentDefinately improve the 101 service - and improve the call handling times to reduce the call waiting times that members of the public have experienced - over 45 mIns seems an average to answer a 101 call - which is a shocking statistic and is TOTALLY inexcusable.
Show less of commentIanWeatherley
Community Member 6 years agoPlease stop abstracting my SNT Police PC’s - andvallow them the time to investigate and deal with victims of crime on their own Wards. Their numbers have been reduced too far and the sergeants are overstretched in their monitoring and...
Show full commentPlease stop abstracting my SNT Police PC’s - andvallow them the time to investigate and deal with victims of crime on their own Wards. Their numbers have been reduced too far and the sergeants are overstretched in their monitoring and supervising roles.
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 6 years agoThe subject of this discussion shows us exactly what's wrong with the Mayor's approach to policing and exactly why crime in London is soaring under his leadership. Policing is not about going to tea with the locals, while the criminals run...
Show full commentThe subject of this discussion shows us exactly what's wrong with the Mayor's approach to policing and exactly why crime in London is soaring under his leadership. Policing is not about going to tea with the locals, while the criminals run riot out on the street. Policing is about fighting crime. When resources are tight, it is important to prioritise day-to-day policing over PR gimmicks like this. The best way for the police to impress the locals would be to be seen on the beat. People on this forum are saying that the police do not even answer their non-urgent telephone helpline. I think the police need to focus on getting this right, not spend more time out of the office attending "community engagement" events.
Show less of commentPatrick Routley
Community Member 6 years agoAgree with Alison 100%
Show full commentAgree with Alison 100%
Show less of commentK S
Community Member 6 years agoAgreed!
Show full commentAgreed!
Show less of commentDrw311
Community Member 6 years agoPolice have stopped doing foot patrols, attending to breakins, car thefts, antisocial behaviour. Groups can sell drugs outside Dollis Hill tube station no action, people regularly jump the barriers no action. So where are the police and...
Show full commentPolice have stopped doing foot patrols, attending to breakins, car thefts, antisocial behaviour. Groups can sell drugs outside Dollis Hill tube station no action, people regularly jump the barriers no action. So where are the police and what are they doing? It makes no difference on how many police there are if they are never seen and they never do anything.
Show less of commentwasateacher
Community Member 6 years ago1. try to involve younger people in the Safer Neighbourhood meetings. Ours are attended by a few elderly people, nearly all white, not representative of the community.
2. make promotion in the Met dependent on having done at least 2 years...
Show full comment1. try to involve younger people in the Safer Neighbourhood meetings. Ours are attended by a few elderly people, nearly all white, not representative of the community.
2. make promotion in the Met dependent on having done at least 2 years, if not more, walking the beat. Raise the status of beat officers and community support officers.
Show less of commenthampshirehog
Community Member 6 years agoFully agree, without this experience any advance in rank has no background. Except for highly specialised appointments that require a subject degree qualification there should be no more graduate engagements as officers Inspector or...
Show full commentFully agree, without this experience any advance in rank has no background. Except for highly specialised appointments that require a subject degree qualification there should be no more graduate engagements as officers Inspector or above. All promotions must be made on ability, knowledge, merit and promotion qualification courses. Direct recruitment of graduates produces too many educated idiots.
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 6 years agoPolice should patrol Tower Hamlets and Shoreditch on foot and all areas where drug dealers control the streets.
Police should be in control, NOT the drug dealers who appear to deal on the streets with impunity. Any suspicious cars should...
Show full commentPolice should patrol Tower Hamlets and Shoreditch on foot and all areas where drug dealers control the streets.
Police should be in control, NOT the drug dealers who appear to deal on the streets with impunity. Any suspicious cars should be searched thoroughly by mobile armed police units.
Show less of commenthampshirehog
Community Member 6 years agoThe police generally tend to disregard drug infractions. Why? In most cases it is because all the work and effort to get a drug dealer to Court usually leads to a short suspended sentence or something similar.
If a person is charged...
Show full commentThe police generally tend to disregard drug infractions. Why? In most cases it is because all the work and effort to get a drug dealer to Court usually leads to a short suspended sentence or something similar.
If a person is charged with dealing drugs they should be kept in custody (kept off the streets, kept from returning to their turf). The case should be heard within 14 days even if the Courts have to go into overtime and a mandatory minimum deterrent custodial sentence awarded. Heavy handed police raids should be mounted in places that start to become "no go" and "druggie" areas. I would really like to see the Singapore regime introduced - very small soft drugs found just a short prison sentence plus a beating. Hard drugs and dealer quantity of soft drugs found then death by hanging. Soon run out of dealers.
Show less of commentzebraxing
Community Member 6 years agoMore foot patrols. I used to live in Kensington and saw the odd patrol. I now live in North Westminster and have never seen a police officer out of a car.
Show full commentMore foot patrols. I used to live in Kensington and saw the odd patrol. I now live in North Westminster and have never seen a police officer out of a car.
Show less of commenttalk_london_us…
Community Member 6 years agoThere should be open public meetings between the police and local residents. i am not aware of any such meetings currently and I would have thought that such meetings, held once a quarter, would be very helpful.
Show full commentThere should be open public meetings between the police and local residents. i am not aware of any such meetings currently and I would have thought that such meetings, held once a quarter, would be very helpful.
Show less of commenthampshirehog
Community Member 6 years agoOnly useful if held at safe place and a convenient time and there was enough police present to have individual sit down chats to hear about problems. Then the big thing - act on the problems without political or "Human rights"...
Show full commentOnly useful if held at safe place and a convenient time and there was enough police present to have individual sit down chats to hear about problems. Then the big thing - act on the problems without political or "Human rights" interference.
Show less of commentbarjar
Community Member 6 years agoIt appears we are lucky in Bromley as we have regular public meetings (4 times a year) with police, council, fire and ambulance managers usually present, also trading standards officer. Although we are one of the largest but least well...
Show full commentIt appears we are lucky in Bromley as we have regular public meetings (4 times a year) with police, council, fire and ambulance managers usually present, also trading standards officer. Although we are one of the largest but least well covered by police numbers boroughs the meetings are rotated around the borough
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 6 years agoThis may sound strange, but what if you only have email, what if you're not on FB or any others like that and what if you only have landline and (heavens to betsy) NO mobile phone ? :-)
Show full commentThis may sound strange, but what if you only have email, what if you're not on FB or any others like that and what if you only have landline and (heavens to betsy) NO mobile phone ? :-)
Show less of commentCaro1000
Community Member 6 years agoWill preclude a lot of older people then
Show full commentWill preclude a lot of older people then
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 6 years agoA growing number of people have CCTV at home. It would be good if the police made more use of evidence gathered from home CCTV systems.
I believe the police have gone down my street many times and assumed that there are no CCTV cameras...
Show full commentA growing number of people have CCTV at home. It would be good if the police made more use of evidence gathered from home CCTV systems.
I believe the police have gone down my street many times and assumed that there are no CCTV cameras they can download-from.
The police should have a database of domestic CCTV systems in an area. I would readily volunteer to be on such a system.
I have seen murderers running away, carjackings, intruders and much more from my cameras. I have SO many times had the police in to get footage because I have had to tell them that I have cameras and so-and-such incident has been caught on my cameras. They generally say "we never thought there were any cameras in this street".
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 6 years agoThe impact of cyclists with helmet cameras on securing convictions of dangerous drivers is noticeable. Now that so many people have smart phones with cameras, any member of the public witnessing a crime can gather valuable evidence - much...
Show full commentThe impact of cyclists with helmet cameras on securing convictions of dangerous drivers is noticeable. Now that so many people have smart phones with cameras, any member of the public witnessing a crime can gather valuable evidence - much more easily than the occasional foot patrol officer who happens to be where a crime takes place. We don't have to risk our safety by tackling the criminal, but filming evidence is real community policing, without vigilantes.
Show less of commentMayor's Office…
Official Representative 6 years agoThanks for sharing your thoughts on this. The potential that home CCTV provides is something that is currently being explored, in particular from a neighbourhood watch perspective. There are privacy concerns when it comes to home CCTV. But, trials are being run where personal CCTV can only be shared with officers. In this trial, the CCTV footage is sent via a secure online tool to the relevant officers. If you have any other good ideas then please share them!
MOPAC
Anonymous - account deleted
Community Member 6 years agoWe need a police presence. All of our local police stations have closed, we never see the police on the streets and when I reported a crime online I didn't even get an acknowledgement let alone any indication that the police had any...
Show full commentWe need a police presence. All of our local police stations have closed, we never see the police on the streets and when I reported a crime online I didn't even get an acknowledgement let alone any indication that the police had any interest in investigating. Two of our closest neighbours had break-ins last Christmas but there was no sign the police were interested - no house to house enquiries, no warning to the rest of us that we might be at risk, no security advice.
Show less of commentdataforensics
Community Member 6 years agoPerhaps actually answering the 101 number. Twice this year I tried to use it and both times gave up after being on hold for over 45 minutes.
Show full commentPerhaps actually answering the 101 number. Twice this year I tried to use it and both times gave up after being on hold for over 45 minutes.
Show less of commenthampshirehog
Community Member 6 years agoStronger penalties from the judiciary. All crimes involving blades, just even possession, should have minimum mandatory custodial sentences. Possession of prohibited drugs should also have minimum mandatory custodial sentences based upon...
Show full commentStronger penalties from the judiciary. All crimes involving blades, just even possession, should have minimum mandatory custodial sentences. Possession of prohibited drugs should also have minimum mandatory custodial sentences based upon the type and quantity of drug with severe sentences for dealers.
Anti community crimes such as burglary, assault, theft, etc should be severely punished regardless of the age of the culprits to act as both punishment or deterrent.
Additional punishments should be legalised such as withdrawl of passport rights, driving licence, taxpayer funded welfare benefits,etc.
Criminals holding foreign nationality should have deportation automatically added to their sentence.
Show less of commentBuildcouncilho…
Community Member 6 years agoAbsolutely agree.
Show full commentAbsolutely agree.
Show less of commentPollypocket
Community Member 6 years agoI agree with everything you have written. Build more prisons. Get these criminals off the street.
Show full commentI agree with everything you have written. Build more prisons. Get these criminals off the street.
Show less of commentJAXM
Community Member 6 years agoI agree
Show full commentI agree
Show less of commentjohnandjulieoc
Community Member 6 years agoMore visible patrols in my local neighbourhood. I have not seen a foot patrol POLICE OFFICER for a long time.
Show full commentMore visible patrols in my local neighbourhood. I have not seen a foot patrol POLICE OFFICER for a long time.
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 6 years agoFoot patrols are popular, but illusory. If an officer is visible to you, they're visible to the criminal, who just waits for them to go away. An officer on foot can't chase at speed, so can only phone for motorised support, which any member...
Show full commentFoot patrols are popular, but illusory. If an officer is visible to you, they're visible to the criminal, who just waits for them to go away. An officer on foot can't chase at speed, so can only phone for motorised support, which any member of the public can do on 999. Better to spend their time investigating crimes which have actually happened, not wandering aimlessly about hoping to deter something which hasn't taken place. What does deter is the risk of getting caught and convicted, so CCTV is much more useful - provided the police have time to investigate.
Show less of commentRalphHardwick
Community Member 6 years agoMore involvement and maintain Safer Neighbourhood teams. By direct communication. More presence on the streets.
Show full commentMore involvement and maintain Safer Neighbourhood teams. By direct communication. More presence on the streets.
Show less of commentstephen13w
Community Member 6 years agoNot Facebook please. Enough of these US tech companies.
Show full commentNot Facebook please. Enough of these US tech companies.
Show less of commenttalk_london_us…
Community Member 6 years agoLack of funding by government and redcution of police numbers and closure of police stations at a time when knife crime and acid attacks are growing is ridiculous. The police need real increase in funding rather than just switching existing...
Show full commentLack of funding by government and redcution of police numbers and closure of police stations at a time when knife crime and acid attacks are growing is ridiculous. The police need real increase in funding rather than just switching existing funding around. All political parties are guilty of making safe neighbourhoods more dangerous.
Show less of commentPeter Brown
Community Member 6 years agoYou are right. I totally agree with your point
Show full commentYou are right. I totally agree with your point
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 6 years agoSpot on John
Show full commentSpot on John
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 6 years agoThe crime reporting system in Tower Hamlets borough is broken. The number 101 doesn't work. People get frustrated over lack of reaction to ASB, crime dealing and NOx littering.
Show full commentThe crime reporting system in Tower Hamlets borough is broken. The number 101 doesn't work. People get frustrated over lack of reaction to ASB, crime dealing and NOx littering.
Show less of commentjohn_clark
Community Member 6 years agoa local FB page updating on significant incidents and risks we can help to reduce.
Show full commenta local FB page updating on significant incidents and risks we can help to reduce.
Show less of comment