Protecting police numbers in Southwark

Tweet

Yesterday Southwark MP’s Harriet Harman, Simon Hughes and Tessa Jowell and London Assembly Member Val Shawcross met with the Minister for Policing, Nick Herbert MP to urge him to ensure the number of police in Southwark is protected. <//span>

The “Southwark Police 1,000 Campaign” has run since 2002 to campaign to increase the numbers of police in Southwark. When it started there were 775 police officers in Southwark and 176 civilian staff to back them up. Since then the numbers have been steadily increasing and we now have 950 police officers, 148 police community support officers and 156 civilian staff.

Over that time crime has been falling. Local people have found the increase in the number of police – particularly the Safer Neighbourhood Teams - very reassuring. But despite that progress, crime is still too high. Southwark has the second highest incidence of crime of the 32 London boroughs. The police numbers should not be cut. 

Harriet Harman said today:

There has been close work between Southwark Council and the police and crime has come down, but the situation is fragile. We do not want to take the risk in seeing police numbers come down”

Tessa Jowell:

“Some crime has started to edge up in Southwark but I know that our local police, working closely with the council and the local community will continue to bear down on crime and the terrible impact it can have. But it is vitally important that we continue to give our local police the resources they need to carry out their work effectively.”

Val Shawcross said:

‘We hugely value our police in Southwark who do an excellent job, often in the most challenging circumstances. I will continue to work with colleagues of all parties to defend our police force’.