Metropolitan Police announces boost to neighbourhood policing as part of efforts to restore trust

*Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley wants to boost neighbourhood policing (credit Met Police)*

Every London borough will get its own dedicated senior officer as part of a move by the Metropolitan Police to strengthen neighbourhood policing.

From March, the Met will put a senior police officer of superintendent rank into each of London’s 32 boroughs as part of an overhaul of the current local model.

Since 2018 the Met Police has been operated locally between twelve basic command units (BCUs), which cover either two or three boroughs. The ‘north west’ BCU covers Barnet, Brent and Harrow and is currently led by Detective Superintendent Barry Loader.

The new superintendent for Barnet will operate within the north west BCU and will still answer to DS Loader. However, it does mean that Barnet will have its own dedicated senior officer for the first time in five years.

Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe said: “Our neighbourhood teams will earn trust and confidence within their local communities through developing strong links with them.

“They will work with Londoners and use their policing powers to proactively identify, investigate and solve local crimes, anti-social behaviour and local problems.

“Communities need to feel involved in determining their policing needs and to know that the Met is there to solve the problems that matter to them – and we will be.”

Neighbourhood superintendents will lead local policing teams and act as the senior point of contact for local authorities and community safety partnerships.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has welcomed the move. He said: “I’ve been very clear about the vital need to strengthen ties between the police and London’s communities – it must be the cornerstone of the Met’s efforts to keep crime down and rebuild public confidence.

“I welcome the Met’s plans to have a senior officer leading neighbourhood policing in every borough, creating better and more visible relationships with all the communities it serves.

“This is an important step forward which, combined with my proposals to fund 500 new PCSOs [police community support officers] and invest record sums from City Hall in neighbourhood policing, will support [commissioner] Sir Mark Rowley’s plans to restore real neighbourhood policing in our city and help build a safer London for everyone.”

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