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A. Accessibility of the police

Description

People feel safer when there is a visible police presence on the streets. They also feel safer when they are confident that the police, if called, will arrive swiftly and respond intelligently.

The difficulty is resourcing. Police can often respond faster and cover a larger area if they are in cars, and the use of technology such as CCTV enables them to spot potential problems before they arise.

Some people also feel that the volume of crime is such that the police do not take ‘low level’ crime seriously, however much it affects the victims.

In view of limited resources, there is a question whether the police should be more constantly and personally visible to prevent crime, or whether the focus should be on responding better when it happens.

 

Quotes from participants in previous public consultations 2003 to 2006

I believe, like many others in the country, that the equivalent of a the old "bobby on the beat" would do a great deal to ameliorate the quality of life of citizens, by reducing minor criminal behaviour, and contributing to more civilized behaviour.

The power of seeing actual uniformed officers is very, very re-assuring to the general public… I think it is very important for children to grow-up seeing parents and friends talking to uniformed police officers.

 

What the MPS is doing about this issue

Work on this issue covers a wide range of areas, these include :

Improving service provision at police station front counters by : 

·                     Increasing the number of selected and trained staff to cover front counters and reduce waiting times

·                     Maximising ways of contacting the MPS in non-emergency situations through information technology and community-based Safer Neighbourhood Teams

·                     Improving front counters through building design to provide a safe environment, and a timely and efficient service.

Improving accessibility and visibility by ensuring : 

·                     All Safer Neighbourhood Team officers are making contact with the local community, key individuals and stakeholders to promote the work of the team

·                     Each Safer Neighbourhood has a Neighbourhood Panel that selects the issues that the SNT will tackle. Neighbourhood panels are made up from people that live, work or learn within the ward

·                     Each issue identified is tackled in a problem solving manner, in partnership, to provide long-term sustainable solutions.

Additionally :

·                     We are looking to purchase a system that will make it easier for people to contact us using email, fax and text messaging

·                     We are continuing to develop the services of the interpreting service Language Line, a facility that helps us understand callers’ needs

·                     We are looking to launch a single non-emergency number for London, which would make it even easier to contact us.

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B. Alcohol and alcohol-related crime

Description

This issue has several aspects. First, there is a close relationship between drinking too much, antisocial behaviour, violence and other crimes. Then there is the question of who allows people, especially young people, to drink too much.

Shops, pubs and off-licenses, for example, are still selling alcohol to under-age drinkers, and to people who have already had too much. Some people believe the police should work harder to get places that regularly break the law closed down.

There is also the damage people are doing to their own health, but not everyone thinks that it is the police’s job to stop people injuring themselves.

 

Quotes from participants in previous public consultations 2003 to 2006

Despite Safer Neighbourhoods and other initiatives underage children are still able, easily, to buy alcoholic beverages and drink them on the street. Policing should concentrate on prosecution of the shop keepers allowing this sale. 

Really this is a health issue, but drunken rowdyism needs dealing with by the police. A group of 4 or more drunken people can be very intimidating - police should have and use the power to lock them up for a period until the end of the next working day….

 

What the MPS is doing about this issue

The MPS response to the abuse of alcohol and alcohol-related crime rests on a mixture of prevention and cure.

Experience suggests that controlled drinking zones, coupled with the confiscation of alcohol from those who do not respect them, can do much to prevent the problems caused by alcohol abuse. There is also increasing liaison with landlords through ‘Pub Watch co-ordinators’, and better anticipation of antisocial behaviour problems likely to be caused by, for example, large numbers of drunken football fans.

Prevention is also aided by visits to off-licences and pubs to remind proprietors of the laws governing the sale of alcohol to those under 18. Covert visits are also made by volunteers and police cadets, and where they are sold alcohol the police will take the appropriate action, including fixed penalty notices, or written notices resulting, after repeat offences, in the revoking of licences.

Prosecution is not always the best approach, however. Education of staff, including the distribution of a ‘Proof of Age’ package with booklets, age restriction signs, and highlighting the importance of asking to see ID from people thought to be under age, can be a more effective approach. Setting up action plans for premises linked to alcohol-related disorder and agreeing a set of conditions can rectify the problems and better integrate the licensed premises with the community. These conditions can be as simple as changing the opening hours, reducing capacity or even redesigning the premises.

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D. Drugs and drug-related crime

Description

A high percentage of crime is drug-related - either fuelled by drugs or carried out in pursuit of the money to buy drugs. If the drug problem was solved it would reduce every type of crime from burglary to organised crime.

There is a widespread perception that nothing seems to work. It is as cheap as it has ever been to buy drugs. They are seen being sold on the streets and consumed everywhere, more or less openly, from inner city estates to smart parties.

People recognise that government and police have tried every type of approach from re-categorising cannabis to targeting the gangs who import drugs. While there have been some victories, the feeling seems to be that overall the problem continues and shows few signs of diminishing.

 

Quotes from participants in previous public consultations 2003 to 2006

I believe that there should be a Zero tolerance approach to all drug taking, supplying and dealing. Due to misleading messages from senior Metropolitan police offices and Government representatives, the smoking of cannabis is believed by many to be legal…. If we had the same effort put in to curtailing drugs as speed cameras, we would all be better off.

As I live on a street where drug dealing is rife, and is known to both police and council, I feel that this should be a priority as it brings many more crimes in its wake. Both police and council here know which houses are responsible for encouraging this activity in this street …, yet insufficient resources are put into combatting it and getting rid of the perpetrators who are known.

 

What the MPS is doing about this issue

The MPS is determined to reduce the demand for and supply of illegal drugs.

The main approaches are :

·                     Preventing organised drug trafficking by targeting the major criminals, seizing their assets and tackling the flow of money that funds the drugs trade

·                     Closing down local drug suppliers including crack houses, street sellers and cannabis growers

·                     Reducing demand by arresting known drug users and diverting them to rehabilitation programmes.

To be successful the MPS depends upon close co-operation with other agencies and with individuals and organisations within the communities most affected.

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E. Hate crime

Description

The MPS Hate Crime definition is as follows, ‘Any incident that is perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be racist, homophobic, transphobic or due to a person’s religion, belief, gender identity or disability’. Such crimes are doubly destructive because they are crimes against a whole community as well as against particular individuals.

At a time of international tension it is additionally important that members of minority communities feel welcomed by the majority, and that the police are committed to safeguarding them and their interests.

The police have a role to play in ensuring that public culture does not tolerate the persecution of people who are perceived to be somehow ‘different’ from the majority.

By doing this they are also demonstrating that tolerance of difference is one key mark of a civilised society.

 

Quotes from participants in previous public consultations 2003 to 2006

Race and faith hate, if you are black or Muslim, is common experience. In most cases when a white person is angry at a black person uttering racial insults comes as natural as morning greeting. I think such attitude is engraved in the western culture and is the cause of misunderstanding other cultures.

The insidious nature and general acceptance of homophobic crime is appalling. That, especially, young people find homophobic abuse and violence perfectly acceptable is frightening. I also know of many lgbt [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered] people who do not report crimes against them for various reasons, but the most common one is that it is not worth it as they won't be taken seriously.

 

What the MPS is doing about this issue

The MPS investigates all forms of hate crime, arrests and prosecutes offenders, and runs various projects and initiatives to prevent hate crime :

·                     Operation Athena involves high profile arrest days, such as the operation on November 30th, 2006 when 323 hate crime perpetrators were arrested. This is the highest number of arrests since the operation started in 2000

·                     Operation Athena Sport continues to work with the Football Association and other sporting governing bodies around key projects/initiatives aimed at youth diversion, youth inclusion, and kicking racism and homophobia out of sport

·                     Promotion of third party, assisted or non-police reporting sites including True Vision

·                     157 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) liaison officers across London assist with the investigation of homophobic/transphobic hate crime

·                     Liaison officers are an effective communication conduit between the MPS and LGBT people, and more are being trained for liaison with the race, faith, disability and traveller communities.

Among new initiatives are the development of an integrated inter-agency hate crime project aimed at improving service delivery to hate crime victims/witnesses and further detailed work taking on hate crime targeted at disabled people and the abuse of vulnerable adults.

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F. Street crime

Description

Street crime, like antisocial behaviour, contributes to people’s sense of personal vulnerability. For every person who is attacked or robbed, there may be a dozen more who hear the story and whose fear of crime increases.

Apart from the immediate realities of assault, injury and occasional murders, street crime is also a direct threat to people’s personal freedom to go about their daily lives without fear. This effect on people’s rights and freedom make street crime, and the fear of it, into a political as well as a policing issue.

When people are afraid to go out the real rights of the individual are in danger of becoming subordinate to the apparent right of criminals to terrorise and oppress.

Some people take the view that the police should put more resources into combating street crime because of these wider consequences.

 

Quotes from participants in previous public consultations 2003 to 2006

This still remains an issue and is not simply a "perception" people have. People don't feel safe because they or someone they know has been attacked.

There is a high volume of mobile phone and handbag snatching all over London, the crime often being backed up by either threats with a knife or intimidation by gangs of youths. There must be a market for the stolen goods - more emphasis could be put on the punishment for carrying knives and mobile phone operators should control the re-registration of stolen mobile handsets. 

 

What the MPS is doing about this issue

For the MPS, ‘street crime’ is mainly about robbery which involves snatching the victim’s property, sometimes using threats but usually without violence.

The MPS launched ‘Operation Safer Streets’ in every London Borough in May 2006, and this has ensured that personal robbery levels have remained at similar levels to last year. This contrasts with the national picture where offences are rising.

Operation Safer Streets :

·                     Is targeted at those people who are known to commit personal robbery

·                     Provides highly visible policing in those areas where offences are more likely to occur

·                     Has raised awareness of the preventive measures that people can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim, including the registration of mobile phones on www.immobilise.com

·                     Will continue the drive to reduce street crime through 2007, working with communities to prevent offences, with schools to reduce the risk of young people becoming victims, and bringing offenders to justice through intelligence, swift responses and detailed investigative work.

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G. Terrorism

Description

People point to two effects of the events of 7 July 2005: an increased awareness of the dangers of terrorism, and also of the need to work closely with minority communities in order to combat it.

The work of the police in preventing terrorist attacks is widely recognised, but so also are the mistakes that at times have over-shadowed the positive achievements. Some people believe that these may to some extent have reduced the willingness of some members of the public and some communities to cooperate fully with the police.

In such situations it is always going to be difficult to strike the right balance between preventing further terror attacks and protecting the public, and not using the sort of measures that undermine common freedoms and expose the public to other risks.

 

Quotes from participants in previous public consultations 2003 to 2006

The overriding priority must be to improve information from Moslem communities, and encourage an anti-extremist culture. The Police have a role in this, by developing good relations not just with "elders" but with all age groups, genders and sub-cultures, and being strict about prejudice in its own ranks. 

Engage with the Muslim community and develop a rapport with them. You shall find them most helpful and supportive. We all live here together and want the same peace. Do not strengthen the terrorists by creating greater division between Muslims and the host community. That's what they want and it seems that's what makes them stronger. 

 

What the MPS is doing about this issue

The police service approach to countering terrorism aims to:

·                     Minimise risk and vulnerability to life and property

·                     Create a hostile environment for the terrorists

·                     Increase communities’ confidence and feeling of safety.

Our approach to this is to :

·                     We increase awareness and understanding of the terrorist threat and ensure the public feel confident in reporting what they believe to be suspicious behaviour or activity; this strategy has been supported by a recent publicity campaign

·                     Ensure that counter-terrorism remains an integral part of all policing activity at Borough level

·                     Provide support to local policing through specialist Counter-Terrorist Intelligence Officers (CTIOs), thereby facilitating the flow of intelligence and information, increasing the availability of expert advice and guidance and improving our understanding of local communities

·                     Work with colleagues and partners to maximise the opportunities for countering terrorism that arise from effective engagement with communities

·                     Continue with the use of appropriate high-visibility policing measures to reassure the public and create a hostile environment for terrorists

·                     Through our Counter-Terrorism Security Advisers (CTSAs) work with partners to ensure adequate protection and contingency measures are in place - particularly where people gather in large numbers.

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H. Traffic and road safety

Description

There is growing concern about road users ignoring basic traffic laws such as stopping at red lights and pedestrian crossings, and there are suggestions of increasing tensions between car drivers and cyclists. At the same time, people are worried about the use of cameras to police everything from speeding to the congestion charge.

Using the roads has become a big part of people’s lives and some think this has had several unintended consequences. One of them is that we seem to accept too easily the harm caused by bad driving, and that killing or maiming others is not treated sufficiently seriously.

Another is that driving has come to be regarded as a right, and that we would do better to think of it as a privilege to be withdrawn from those who abuse it.

 

Quotes from participants in previous public consultations 2003 to 2006

As a cyclist I often come across dangerous and aggressive drivers, sometimes who even try to force me off the road. I was particularly concerned to hear that only 50% of speeding tickets were paid, as a large proportion of the rest were driving untraceable cars, sometimes with cloned plates. I am very concerned about this.

Cyclists appear to have no idea that red lights (whether on pedestrian crossings or junctions), the requirement to show lights at night, one-way streets and so on apply to them. They are quite happy to behave as if pedestrians on crossing aren't there or cycle on the pavement…. The police should enforce the highway code for cyclists much more often to prevent this problem getting worse.

 

What the MPS is doing about this issue

Our strategic goals are :

·                     Denying criminals the use of the road by enforcing the law

·                     Reducing road casualties

·                     Tackling the threat of terrorism

·                     Reducing the antisocial use of roads

·                     Enhancing public confidence and reassurance by patrolling the road.

In order to achieve this we have increased the number of detectives in the traffic division from 2 to 25. We have increased the number of officers investigating Fatal Road Traffic Collisions and invested heavily in new technologies to support them.

We are now structured to investigate criminal networks behind road-related crime. We are working with the insurance industry to identify and prosecute people involved in ‘staged’ road collisions which put honest road users at significant risk of harm.

We will continue to focus on the activities most commonly associated with the causes of collisions or serious injury. That is speed, use of hand held mobile telephones whilst driving, and failing to wear seatbelts. We will continue to identify uninsured drivers and to seize their vehicles.

Among new initiatives are a ‘payback’ team to confiscate the assets of those involved in road crime and closer collaboration with Safer Neighbourhood Teams with regard to local speed enforcement.

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I. Violent and gun crime

Description

There is widespread concern about the number of people, especially young people, dying by knife and gun. There are reports of a growing sub-culture in which the carrying of weapons conveys status and earns respect.

The priority is to catch and punish the suppliers and users of weapons, and to do more to keep weapons out of schools and clubs.

There is also recognition that there is a need to change the culture in which casual violence becomes the norm, and that this will require the active support of people throughout the community.

 

Quotes from participants in previous public consultations 2003 to 2006

As social cohesion continues to evaporate… it seems increasingly acceptable in some defined sub groups/cultures in London's community to carry weapons - guns / knives etc. Often the rationale being - " it's for my own protection". Presumably those groups who carry weapons don't sign up to the proposition that it is the boys and girls in blue who are that protection.

It appears that the carrying of knives and in some cases guns by young people has become a fashion statement. I believe that a crack down on the carrying of knives particularly at school and at disco's etc, should be a priority of the Met police and as high a profile as possible of prosecutions should be given.

What the MPS is doing about this issue

The MPS priority in relation to all violent crime is protection of the public :

·                     A number of projects, each with a specific focus – such as Compass (missing persons), Jigsaw (public protection), Sapphire (rape and sexual assault) and Community Safety Units operate across all London boroughs

·                     There is close correlation between violence and alcohol, so the MPS works closely with the Home Office Alcohol-Related Crime Programme which is managed through the Government Office for London. This project involves providing additional funding to the ten boroughs with the worst alcohol-related violence

·                     The Challenging Wards project is similarly directed at identifying those wards suffering from the highest levels of violent crime and targeting resources accordingly

·                     With the Umbra Project the MPS is developing a fully integrated and joined up approach to domestic violence. The scope of the project involves courts, Criminal Justice Unit partners, other care and support agencies, and the care of children from families with a background of domestic violence

·                     Violent Crime Directorate have developed a key linkage between the Specialist Crime Directorate (joint tactical gun crime delivery unit) and Operation Blunt (tackling knife crime) to develop a joined-up response.

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J. Youth crime and other youth issues

Description

People see two sides to the story of London’s youth.

Some see packs of ‘feral’ youth, terrorising communities. Others see young people with their own hopes and dreams, sometimes failed by their parents and their schools, struggling to survive in an urban wilderness and as likely to be victims as perpetrators.

There is a saying that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, but modern urban villages can seem to be communities in name alone, with little evidence of their role in the collective raising, educating and disciplining of children. This raises questions about whose job it is nowadays to ensure children become good citizens.

 

Quotes from participants in previous public consultations 2003 to 2006

Where I live there are many youths who wear hooded jackets, they congregate in groups and are threatening. There are no police around to tell them to move on, and I have young grandchildren and I don't want them feeling threatened. Also I am a Londoner and have never felt frightened, but I now do, and the only way I go into London in the evening is by car. When I come home late I lock myself in the car. This is something I should not have to do…

Youths target and victimise residents with constant harassment and damage property. I recently went to a seminar where it showed that the perpetrators themselves are victims of neglect and abuse. More resources need to be channelled into helping the youngsters before they commit crimes against residents in their community.

 

What the MPS is doing about this issue

The police seek to reduce youth crime by:

·                     Listening to young people’s fears in relation to crime and acting to reduce those fears

·                     Prevent crime and promote safety through Safer Schools policing

·                     Work in partnerships to divert young people from crime, for example through Volunteer Police Cadets and the Kickz Football project

·                     Support youth offending prevention work within youth offending services.

The police also want to improve public confidence in youth justice by increasing use of restorative justice approaches. These help young people to appreciate the consequences of a crime by requiring them make some form of direct reparation to the victim.

 

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