Town centre police squads to ease fears in London

Westminster is one of three boroughs where there will be enhanced or additional town centre teams, the Met said (Aaron Chown/PA)
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John Dunne @jhdunne5 October 2021

The Met has revealed how they will deploy an extra 650 officers in London in response to fears over the safety of women and girls.

Some 500 officers will form “town centre” squads in 19 areas across the capital, including Westminster, Camden, Brent, Lewisham and Greenwich.

A further 150 officers will join existing patrolling ward officers — or “bobbies on the beat”. It comes after the Met announced at the weekend that hundreds of new officers would be deployed into busy public places, “including those where women and girls often lack confidence that they are safe”.

Met Police Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave said: “This enables us to increase our presence in busy neighbourhoods and town centres and be even more focused on protecting people and solving the long-term crime and anti-social behaviour issues we know people care about most — like violent crime, and violence and harassment committed against women and girls.

“Local policing is at the heart of everything we do and we are so much more effective if we are in communities and neighbourhoods, working side-by-side with all Londoners, listening and engaging with them, tackling the issues that make them feel unsafe.

“We want communities to regularly see and get to know their local officers, so that they trust and have confidence in them, knowing they are there to keep them safe.”

The first teams and officers are expected to be in place by the end of the year with all 19 operating by next spring.

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