West End Letters: Drug and Crack Houses | Police

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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 29 August 2008

Police are not a substitute for effective social policies

• YOUR readers may be aware of a successful police operation on drug and crack houses in north Paddington in Westminster.
Sadly this is not an uncommon occurrence in this part of London.
It is important to ask ourselves why such a pattern exists in this part of Westminster against other parts. It also needs to be pointed out that much of the products of drug and crack houses end up on streets across Westminster, and especially in the West End, where a more lucrative market exists.
It is obvious to people who live in areas in north Paddington that relentless urban decline and neglect are significant factors in attracting criminal activity among a population with high levels of vulnerability and properties badly managed by private and social landlords.
It is now seven years since central government injected large sums of money into local authorities as part of joint regeneration programmes.
In the case of Westminster we have not seen the levels of mainstream funding to match government money that would be needed to achieve the outcomes hoped for.
This is despite a clear commitment at each round of Government funding that mainstream funding from the local authority was an essential part of the programme.
In Westminster we had the ultimate insult when ward budgets were launched, in that each ward was given £100,000, irrespective of the needs of that ward.
We have seen what can be achieved in our schools with a national programme of funding coupled with a vision of what should be the best opportunities for our young people.
We see no such meaningful agenda or vision at Westminster Council to deal with housing needs, training and skill needs, pre-school and after-school activities.
We have four wards of Multiple Deprivation with local neighbourhood boards that lack the necessary funding and resources to fully implement their objectives, often having to scratch around for donors and apply for highly competitive funding streams.
It is as though Westminster Council pays lip service to government objectives as long as the funding pours in to assist in maintaining a low council tax – a factor that is meaningless to those on council tax benefit.
I have a high regard for the work undertaken by our police and they deserve our support.
But they should not be used to buffer up the failings of a local authority whose policy of neglect contributes to levels of criminal activity that our residents have to endure.
CLLR GUTHRIE McKIE(Labour)
Harrow Road Ward
Westminster City Council

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.

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