Camden-news-police

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

Camden New Journal - by PAUL KEILTHY
Published: 28 June 2007

Police get extra cash for four-week blitz

CONFUSION among council chiefs has been cleared up by an announcement of how new Town Hall cash for police will be spent fighting crime in four hotspots in Camden Town, Kilburn, Bloomsbury and Finchley Road.
In a co-ordinated exercise involving a tip-off to reporters and an instantaneous press release, Lib Dem council leader Cllr Keith Moffitt told a full council meeting last Monday that he was authorising a grant of £130,000 “to support police operations against crime in Camden”.
A council spokesman said it was a response to recent crime figures.
Opposition councillors begrudgingly welcomed the new cash, while questioning the timing of the announcement during the run-up to a Haverstock by-election. But Cllr Moffitt’s own crime chief appeared wrong-footed by the deal.
The executive member for community safety, Lib Dem councillor Ben Rawlings, said he had been told “only fairly recently” and could not provide details of how the money – which in theory will go to projects at the heart of his portfolio – would be spent.
Cllr Moffitt said the funding came from a government cash pot called the Local Area Agreement and had been agreed that day without consultation with his colleague.
“The money is for extra uniformed police officers. It has been quite a high-level discussion and the details are still being discussed,” said Cllr Moffitt.
On Tuesday, council press officials signalled that the money would be dedicated to tackling drug and graffiti crime in Camden Town, robbery, theft and drugs in Bloomsbury, and vehicle crime in Kilburn and Finchley Road.
Four “weeks of action” by police and council will run through July with support from Transport for London.
Labour leader Cllr Anna Stewart said: “She said: “It says to me that either he (Cllr Moffitt) doesn’t have confidence in his own executive member, or one has to question the timing of the announcement.”

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment: