Waltham Forest council has launched a new leg of their campaign to rectify the borough’s insufficient police resources. The ‘we’re calling for back-up’ campaign began last year to promote the need for at least 120 more officers in the area to combat the borough’s high rates of serious crime. The council claims that Hackney, a borough with similar serious crime rates, currently has 198 more police officers than Waltham Forest.
Since beginning the year-long campaign, the council themselves have paid for ten more officers to be provided; but the police has made no formal commitment to improving the provision of resources.
Council Leader, Councillor Chris Robbins wrote to Boris Johnson earlier this month when official figures revealed the borough has worse ‘clear up’ rates for serious crime than most of the rest of the UK. In the councillor’s address to the London Mayor, he asked him to visit the borough and witness the detrimental effect a lack of police is having on the area.
Although recently-recruited Commander Chief Supt Steve Wisbey has successfully increased the number of temporary officers in Waltham Forest by fifty, the police force remains overwhelmed and clear-up rates continue to suffer. Opportunities to volunteer for the police have been created to help. The council has also set-up an online petition as part of their ‘we’re calling for back-up’ campaign. So far over 7,200 local people have signed in support of the extra 120 police officers being provided.
With the Olympics fast approaching, the council hopes the Mayor and police will react positively and recognise that something needs to be done.
For information on volunteering for the police, contact: Gill.Dunn@met.police.uk
