London Councils, the body representing London boroughs, is calling for a new agenda in policing.
According to its recent report, Trusting devolution: the challenge for London, crime and fear of crime has long been high on the list of Londoners’ concerns.
Recorded crime has been falling, reflecting the success of intelligence-led policing methods and the Safer Neighbourhoods initiative. But many Londoners too often feel threatened or unsafe as they go about their daily lives.
London boroughs and local police commanders have a long history of working effectively together. The Crime and Disorder Act 1997 formalised partnership working, and borough-based Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) have gone on to introduce a wide range of local schemes and measures to cut crime, reduce anti-social behaviour, and reassure citizens. London Councils argues for:
joint working to be strengthened further, with
borough commanders staying in one borough long
enough to develop close working relationships
with council leaders and chief executives, and
with councils involved in appointment processes
policing to be seen as an integral part of the
‘governing’ of an area, with related council
functions (housing, education, street enforcement, community safety) all working together under a consistent and unified framework from CDRPs and local strategic partnerships
borough commanders to have more autonomy from
Home Office and MPS targets, with flexibility to
respond to local citizen perceptions of policing
priorities on their patch
Home Office and MPS demonstrating real
commitment to government’s plans for devolution
and not re-introducing new targets and directives
via the Assessment of Policing and Community
Safety (APACS) performance regime or separate
pressure on CDRPs
strengthened democratic accountability at borough
level for policing strategy in each part of London, through political leadership of CDRPs and
community safety partnerships, and formal borough-level scrutiny and overview
borough representation on the Metropolitan Police Authority.
These objectives can be achieved without restructuring or organisational upheaval within the Metropolitan Police. They reflect Sir Ronnie
Flanagan’s recognition of the need for more local accountability for policing
They build on two decades of growing trust and close working between London boroughs and their police colleagues. A green paper is expected from government, following the Flanagan Review. In the meantime, London Councils continues to discuss with the Metropolitan Police Authority and the Commissioner the opportunities for further reform to the governance and working arrangements for London’s policing. London should seize the chance to move ahead of the game. London has every opportunity to set a new agenda for policing in the 21st century, as it did in the days of Sir Robert Peel.
