Mayor of London to Roll Out 30 Police Transport Teams

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, joined Metropolitan Police Commander Rod Jarman and Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy to announce the 30 locations across London that will benefit from new transport policing teams. This follows the success of three pilot teams launched by the Mayor in May that have reduced some crimes by more than a third.

The Mayor promised to increase the police presence on buses to make Londoners feel safer, and launched Hub Team trials in West Croydon, Wood Green, and Canning Town within the first weeks of his administration. Since then the teams have reduced robberies by 37.8 per cent and overall crime by more than 16 per cent. Violent crime has fallen by 5.6 per cent*. They have carried out more than 6,000 stops in their areas and conducted almost 200 street briefings with the local communities.

As well as the roll out of the Hub Teams, 11 newly deployed inner London borough-based policing teams will now be made permanent after bus related crime was reduced in the boroughs served by the teams by 13.6 per cent in recent months.

New figures since the Mayor’s election in May show that these measures are having an impact.  In the first quarter of 2008/9 there has been a fall in violent crime of 7.9 per cent* across the bus network.

London Mayor, Boris Johnson has said that, although very positive, more work needs to be done to reassure Londoners.

The Mayor said:

“The most frequent complaint made to me during the election was that local people did not feel safe on the buses. Therefore, one of my first actions as Mayor was to introduce new transport hub police teams to kick-start the work of taking back our public spaces, and cutting so-called ‘minor crime’.

“These teams have had great initial success, cutting the number of robberies by over a third where they have operated, and I am now working with the Metropolitan police and TfL to get them rolled to other boroughs where I hope they will have an equally impressive impact.

“But there is still a lot of work to be done to reassure Londoners that travelling around our city is safe. I want to ensure that all Londoners can travel safely around our city, and can do so in confidence. The latest figures show that we are starting to turn the tide, and I will be working tirelessly to build on this success.”

Commander Rod Jarman, of the Metropolitan Police, said:

“Whilst traveling on buses in London is generally safe, and is getting safer, we are aware of the impact of fear of crime, and anti social behavior on people’s lives, and the impact this may have on their ability to travel freely to and from work, or school.

“This extension of the Safer Transport Teams has already proved very popular with the public, our staff and with the bus operators, and has led to even greater reductions in crime.

“We are therefore pleased to be able to announce today how the teams will be extended across London, focusing on the areas of greatest need and where most passengers will gain from them.”

Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said:

“In keeping with the Mayor’s focus on this as a top priority, our transport policing teams are working together to make sure everyone in London not only is safe, but feels safe on public transport.

“There are now thousands of police and community support officers on and around the buses and the difference they are making is clear.

“We are seeing pensioners using the buses again and young people behaving with more respect across the bus network.“

Chief Superintendent Joe Royle of the MPS Transport Operational Command Unit, which oversees more than 1,200 uniformed officers including the new inner London teams said:

“The Transport Operational Command Unit is working together to keep London moving safely.

“We are in the business of tackling bus-related crime and anti-social behavior on London’s bus network. The concerns of the traveing public are important to us and there is every indication from them that our continual policing presence is proving popular.

“Our Transport OCU Reassurance Teams provide that regular, hi-visibility reassurance to drive down the fear of crime on the inner London bus network.”

An additional 440 uniformed officers are being used to establish the new hub teams, with each one being made up of one sergeant, one police constable and seven PCSOs.

The Metropolitan Police Service is now also launching a major recruitment drive for an additional 1,600 Special Constables across London to assist the hub teams, which will be rolled out to the new locations from January 2009.

In addition to the Hub Teams, every one of London’s 21 Safer Transport teams, introduced last year, will receive an extra seven officers as part of the Mayor’s pledge to boost transport policing across the capital.

Source: London.gov

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