Councillor Andrew Steed on local policing and safety news
Cllr Andrew Steed (left) and Cllr Gary Malcolm (right) at the meeting
Southfield Liberal Democrat councillors Gary Malcolm and I attended the Police meeting at Chiswick Town Hall last week (4 October).
Southfield ward contains about a quarter of Chiswick (the rest being in Hounslow) plus about a thousand homes in Acton near the Uxbridge Road. So, the actions of the Chiswick police have an impact on what happens in Ealing’s Chiswick. Also, the three police teams in Hounslow, Ealing and Hillingdon merged recently so more cross borough working is expected.
Chief Super Intendent Sean Wilson who is the Borough Commander for both Ealing and Hounslow spoke of the Police priorities; in Preventing and tackling violence and strengthening trust and confidence. A part of strategy will be seen in more 'officers in communities'.
I see that as a re-focus on Neighbourhood Policing with the promised additional officers coming through in summer 2023. That is to be very much welcomed.
Also, where I am in Southfield, it has one of the lowest crime rates in Ealing, but the number of dedicated ward officers is far below the level it was ten years ago. We do need more resource and we also need officers who will stay in the ward for longer periods of time.
In addition, there was confirmation that consideration is being given to a Police Hub on the Chiswick High Road. This may be situated in the Town Hall Building or possibly within the Fire Station on Heathfield Gardens.
Police officers addressing the meeting in Chiswick Town Hall
This is good news given that the police station was closed. The local Liberal Democrats campaigned against the closure of Chiswick Police Station, and although the 'hub' is not a like for like replacement, it restores a Police presence which is needed as many respondents to the Liberal Democrat consultation on Women’s Safety in 2021 referred to a lack of police presence. We look forward to further details.
The Borough Commander observed that the nature of crime is changing, with on-line fraud the biggest category of crime. However, at the local level residents still welcome the sight of police on their streets. One can debate how effective that is in fighting crime, but for many who live alone for example, the fear of crime is very real.
At the meeting Councillor Gary Malcolm spoke of the Liberal Democrat success to make Southfield and Ealing safer by reversing the light dimming in October. After pressure from the Liberal Democrats the Council made the U-turn, meaning every street should be brighter and safer. This was one of our main election pledges and we are glad that the change will be made.
There is a follow up meeting with the police team in Southfield this week which Councillor Gary Malcolm is attending so we will update residents on issues affecting Southfield.
Councillor Andrew Steed
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least two articles a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
October 11, 2022
