wletters

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 7 March 2008

Need for joined-up thinking
with cross-border policing

• IT is important for police officers at the beat level to be acquainted with officers in neighbouring patrol areas in order to co-operate and share intelligence.
In Fitzrovia, the Cleveland Street divide which marks the border between Camden and Westminster has nominally been an obstacle to this local police contact – nominally only because policing borders have to exist somewhere; with some effort, contact between neighbouring policing areas can be organised, as is already done on major crime and drug dealing. From the beginnings of this Neighbourhood Watch in 2004, it came as a surprise to learn that local patrol officers did not not have periodic cross-border direct contact. Promptings from this watch for this to occur were met with enthusiasm from Westminster.
Camden were not quite so enthusiastic; from discussion with Inspector Peter Hughes of Holborn police station, the reasoning was that the computerised system made face-to-face discussion with Westminster beat officers largely redundant. It is in the best interests of Fitzrovia for Camden and Westminster police to co-operate on street crime as per the wishes of the Fitzrovia community. This will also help counter government directives and the compilation of statistics on different policing areas which then encourages them to compete with one another for the best stats: policing borders become like tennis nets where the crime and less flattering figures are sent across to the other side. The hope is that a shift in approach will occur on the Camden side.
We support having the Bloomsbury (Camden) and Cavendish Square/ Oxford Market (Westminster) Safer Neighbourhoods Teams based at the same site within or close to Fitzrovia – strongly supported by Inspector Gary Wilson at Marylebone station.
Discussions on this occurred last year but were put on indefinite hold because the setting-up costs were considered prohibitive. The old Tottenham Court Road police station, now long since sold off, would have been the ideal location. For lack of foresight, assets and infrastructure which now could be useful have been relinquished.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number.
Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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

Name:

Email:

Comment:

Your comments: