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 Keith Moffitt |
Mayor Ken pledges to fund 24-hour policing
Culture of fear and ‘well-established’ gangs must be tackled
KEN Livingstone poured fuel on the smouldering debate over youth disorder in Kentish Town on Monday by suggesting that, if only the council would pay, he would ensure the 24-hour policing that residents crave.
With the Haverstock by-election just days away, London’s Mayor told the New Journal: “In one or two wards we are working with the London borough councils. They put up some money and the neighbourhood patrol has gone 24/7.
“I’d be happy to do the same thing in Camden because there is clearly a local problem of well-established gangs, and we could do with a 24-hour policing presence. I would jointly fund that with the borough council if they want to get involved with doing this. I’m going to write to the leader of the council.” He added: “There is a particular problem in this ward which people have quite graphically described. This would be a good place to start.”
Mr Livingstone’s remarks found immediate support among residents who claim gangs of youths stepped up their presence in the streets of the Denton estate on Prince of Wales Road earlier this year.
Although the ongoing scale of the disorder is disputed, crimes were being reported at a rate of ten a week in Malden Road alone in May, and at least two of the businesses that have left the area cited troubled youth culture as a factor in their decisions.
Residents argue that the existing, six-strong ward police team is not on duty for enough hours in the day to deal with the problem.
A resident campaigner in the area, Yasmin Allen, said of Mr Livingstone’s proposal: “This would mean police officers who could build relationships on the ground rather than having an intermittent, saturated police presence. It could be a long-term solution”
Mr Livingstone’s idea is not a new one for Camden’s Lib Dem/Conservative coalition, which departed from its Labour predecessors by providing £300,000 to fund additional police officers in April.
But those extra officers have so far failed to materialise because of recruitment issues in Camden, and Camden police have made clear that any windfall in extra resources would be focused not on politically sensitive Haverstock but in the higher crime areas of Kilburn, Camden Town, Bloomsbury and Finchley Road.
Lib Dem council leader Councillor Keith Moffitt said yesterday he was unable to discuss pledges of cash because of electoral rules – known as ‘purdah’. He said: “It is interesting that London’s Mayor has chosen to make his visit to Haverstock ward a week before the by-election there – all I can say is I look forward to receiving his letter.
“Clearly, partnership working is fundamental to tackling crime across Camden, and we’ve shown with the money we’ve put in that we are committed to it.”
Unlucky timing has dogged the administration in Haverstock since a dispersal zone covering the Malden Road area was allowed to lapse on May 27, just as local concern over youth disorder reached its peak with a series of heated public meetings.
It was reintroduced on Monday, allowing police to break up groups of two or more people or ban non-residents for a period of 24 hours if they consider their behaviour to be anti-social, and covering all of Haverstock ward and parts of Kentish Town and Gospel Oak.
It also enables the police to take under-16s home if they are in the area unaccompanied between 9pm and 6am – an additional power which police have insisted is not a curfew.
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