Spring dates for Cuppa with a Coppa

If you would like to report a crime, raise an issue that is affecting you or where you live or just have a chat with one of Streatham's dedicated officers, dates for the Streatham Police Community Contact Sessions (also known as “Cuppa with a Copper”) for the remainder of January, February, March and April are: 

Cuppa with a Copper in December

If there is something you wish to discuss with a local police officer, you can meet them at one of December's Cuppa with a Copper sessions in Streatham. You can report a crime, raise an issue that is affecting you or where you live or just have a chat with your dedicated local officers on the following dates:

 

Date:            Monday 3 December

Time:            2.00 – 3.00 pm

Venue:          Brickwood,  292 Streatham High Road

Cuppa with a Copper - dates for Streatham

Police officers from Streatham Wells, Streatham South and St Leonard’s Wards are holding a number of "Cuppa with a Copper" sessions over the next few weeks. 

You can report a crime, raise an issue that is affecting you or just have a chat at these sessions:

Date:        Friday 21st September

Time:       9-10 am

Venue:    The Rookery Café, Streatham Common South, London SW16 3BZ

Mystery of police base petition that Mayor never saw

Green campaigners say goodbye to front counter staff

Mystery surrounds a petition set up by Labour councillors over proposals to close Lambeth police stations - including the base in Streatham.

Hundreds of signatures were gathered from residents concerned that the proposals from Mayor Sadiq Khan would leave the most vulnerable people without access to their local police.

Now a Freedom of Information request has found that while the mayor did receive petitions organised by other parties, the one set up and advertised by Labour councillors was never submitted at City Hall.

It's official - police stay in Streatham 'til 2024, but front counter to close

Campaigning: Jonathan Bartley, Sian Berry and  Cllr Scott Ainslie

The Greens have secured the commitment of the London Mayor that Streatham's police base will stay open - although Sadiq Khan intends to still close its front counter service to the public on December 14th.

In a written answer to a question from Green Party London Assembly Member Sian Berry, who is deputy chair of the Mayor's police and crime committee, the mayor states: "I can confirm that while the front counter at Streatham police station will be closed - in order to reduce running costs - the building will retain a police presence until 2024."

Greens call on Mayor to rethink police station closures

Streatham dad - and co-leader of the Green Party - Jonathan Bartley is calling on the Mayor of London to stop overriding the wishes of Londoners and rethink the closure of police front counters and stations across the capital.

Jonathan Bartley made the call as he handed in a 1300-strong petition to save Streatham police base at City Hall as the Mayor announced that more than half of London’s remaining front counters will be closed.

Jonathan Bartley said: “The Mayor has the chance to show Londoners he cares about their safety by reversing the decision to close police stations and front counters. 

“This consultation has clearly been a short, shallow and inadequate process. It is clear Londoners' concerns have been side lined, with so few changes made to the Mayor’s plans following consultation it raises serious questions about the adequacy and depth of the consultation. Even more concerning is the fact London’s most vulnerable residents, who will be affected most by these decisions, were given so little time to respond.”

Campaigners meet police over threat to Streatham police base

Jonathan, left, campaigns Sian Berry and Cllr Scott Ainslie

By Jonathan Bartley

Along with local Green councillor Scott Ainslie and London Assembly member Sian Berry I met with police yesterday at Streatham Police base to discuss its proposed closure by the Mayor. 

Greens are opposed to the police base closure and removal of Streatham's police to Brixton. 

The Mayor of London is proposing to close police stations across London as a result of Government budget cuts. We think that closing Streatham police base is entirely counter productive and an inefficient use of resources. 

Have your say on threatened closure of Streatham's police base

Jonathan Bartley and Cllr Scott Ainslie: keeping police in Streatham

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is consulting on plans to close all Lambeth's police stations, except Brixton and Gipsy Hill. The police base in Streatham, opened only two years ago at the cost of £500,00 would be lost, under the mayor's plans.

See the plans and have your say here.

 Local dad and Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley has launched a petition to save Streatham's police base.

Sign the petition here.

New Streatham police base official opening

Cllr Scott Ainslie, the Borough Commander and Jonathan Bartley

It was great to be at the official opening of Streatham's new police base this week.

It was the culmination of years of campaigning, to get a decent base that was fit for purpose and accessible to the whole community.

In May 2013, we finally secured the commitment from the Mayor of London (via London Assembly Member Jenny Jones) that the old police station would remain open until the new one was built.

But even during the local election campaign last year, the issue was still hotly contested.

New Streatham police base to open 16th February

Inspector Morag Palmer has had it confirmed that the new Streatham Neighbourhood Police base will be open from 9am on Monday 16th February.

 

The front counter service will be the same hours as at the existing police station;

 

Monday to Wednesday     9am -- 5pm

 

Thursday 12 noon to 8pm

 

Friday 9am - 5pm

 

She has asked that the message be spread far and wide!

 

There will be an official opening by the Borough Commander in March.  

Streatham Police Station to close

On Monday last week (25th March) the Mayor of London gave his final verdict following the consultation on policing for Lambeth which ended on 6th March. The consultation kicked off in February with a public meeting in Lambeth which I attended along with London Assembly members.

The consultation arose from the Mayor's drive to cut 20% from the police budget. It involves the centralisation of policing and cuts to Safer Neighbourhood Teams down to one police officer and one Police Community Support Officer.

I met with the Borough Commander several weeks ago and put the case for more police for Streatham. While it seems he has the power to place more police locally, he also insists that he is constrained by the model being imposed upon him. Unfortunately the campaign by Lambeth Council for "100 more police officers" appears to have been a waste of £180,000 as it was launched too late to influence the Mayor's decision. Both Lambeth Council and local Streatham councillors seem to have taken their eye off the ball on this one, although to be fair the consultation period was short and appears to have been rushed through.

You can see the final decision for Lambeth here, including the decision to close Streatham Police Station.

The document states:

"The existing Streatham Police Station will not meet longer term policing needs and alternative facilities will be required to meet future policing requirements including Front Counter facilities with appropriate public access. Alternative Front Counter solutions have been identified and a site in Streatham High Road obtained. Works are to be undertaken, when complete and the Front Counter is operational, the Front Counter in Streatham Police Station will close. During this period, any refurbishment work will be limited to health and safety related updates to meet the standards required."

I met with local police last night to try and get more details, but they seem to have no more information than is contained in the document the Mayor has issued. So it appears the Mayor has decided that the police station will close, the building will probably be sold off (although councillors have powers to designate it a community asset and so keep it under community control), and an alternative police front counter service set up down in "The Dip" on Streatham High Road. The new front counter service, like the planned present front counter service, will not be 24 hours, but just open during the day. It will also be a "deployment base" according to the document. These are where the borough’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams, Borough Tasking Teams and/ or Emergency Response and Patrol officers and PCSOs start and end their tours of duty.

As proposed in the original consultation document, the Safer Neighbourhood Teams will be just one police officer and one Police Community Support Officer (PCSO).

Plan to end 24 hour counter at Streatham police station and cut dedicated police ward teams

Along with Scott Ainslie, London Assembly Member Jenny Jones and the new leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett, I attended a meeting last night in Brixton which gave some details of proposed changes to policing in Streatham.

The meeting at Electric Brixton, Brixton Hill, was attended by Deputy Mayor Stephen Greenhalgh and the Met Police’s assistant commissioner Simon Byrne. Organised by the Mayor of London's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) it was a consultation on the draft Police and Crime Plan, and lasted just over an hour. However it left many people's questions unanswered.

We were told that the new plans were being driven by the goal of reducing the police service budget by 20% by 2016 but also to get officers out from behind desks and into the community.

The key points that emerged with regard to Streatham, are that:

1. The counter at Streatham police station will no longer be open 24 hours, but be reduced to just opening during the day. The exact hours would be determined following local consultation, with the possibility of volunteers being used to keep them open for longer.

2. The dedicated ward Safer Neighbourhood Teams will be reduced from 6 people (one sergeant, two constables and three police community support officers - PCSOs) to just one dedicated PC and one PCSO.

This is part of a new policing model which will be introduced from this April, aimed at providing flexibility rather than dedicated bodies in wards. Inspector-led teams will work in local police areas (clusters of wards). Every ward will have a "named sergeant" (but apparently not solely dedicated to the ward so they will be shared). It will just be a PC and PCSO dedicated to each ward, while other PCs and PCSOs work across the whole local police area.

What was clear however was that the 250 or so police that Lambeth has lost since 2010 would not be replaced, but there would be around 874 officers in Lambeth by 2015 (a similar level to the end of October 2011 which was 870).

The Brixton Blog suggests the senior police officers gave no assurance to the future of either Community Police Consultative Groups or Safer Neighbourhood Panels. These groups are seen my many as vital to hold the police to account in the borough. However, in the Mayor's Police and Crime Plan, it states:

"A Safer Neighbourhood Board will be established in every borough by 2014... These Boards, supported by MOPAC, will establish local policing and crime priorities and fulfill a range of important functions, including monitoring public complaints against the police and community confidence in their area, and ensuring all wards have a ward panel in place."

The 2012 Green Party London manifesto pledged to resist police cuts. As more details emerge we will update you. In the meantime you can see the Mayor's Draft Police and Crime plan in full here

You can provide written responses to the consultation here. The consultation last until the 6th March.