This week has seen how the Metropolitan Police Service is putting communities back at the heart of policing as it delivers more trust, less crime and high standards with A New Met for London plan.
A New Met for London is the product of more than 10,000 interactions with Londoners, officers and staff, and partners from across London. The plan details how in Hackney we will deliver better policing by radically transforming our officers and staff to succeed.
Last night, Wednesday, 19 July, an event was held in Hackney giving senior police leaders and members of the local community the opportunity to discuss the new policing plan and what this means to local improvements to police services. It provided an opportunity for people who live, work and study in Hackney to meet and have a conversation with their local officers about their local priorities.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway,Commander for Central East, said: “We want to continue to hear from the widest possible range of voices in Hackney to work with us to agree local priorities and to understand what this new plan means.
“For too long our communities have been telling us that many parts of the Met need reform and it is clear we have been too slow to respond. I believe together we can change to ensure the public we serve trust us to fight crime and keep people safe across Hackney.
“We hold regular ‘Community and Police Conversation’ events in Hackney for local residents to attend to continue to build trust and confidence through conversation. These events can be found on Twitter @MPSHackney and I would welcome you to join us to continue the conversation.”
The event was held at the Morningside Community Centre in Cresset Road was attended by around 40 residents and community groups. It was also attended by local politicians, councillors and local officers.
The event was officially opened by Hackney Councillor Susan Fajana-Thomas and supported by Hackney’s Mayor Philip Glanville and local partners.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway spoke to the audience about their visions on how the New Met for London plan will be delivered in Hackney and across the Met.
DCS James Conway continues by explaining more about Hackney’s local priorities: “Our recent conversations across the communities of Hackney have made it clear that we need to balance our focus more towards crime and behaviour which make the community feel unsafe, as well as those crimes which we know cause serious harm.
“The challenge of over policing and under-protecting Black and other minoritised communities, as the Casey report outlined, is also felt very strongly in Hackney. We have received superb support from the communities and Hackney Council in confronting this challenge, leading to a new pilot of community-led scrutiny and changes to how we use stop and search.
“There is much further to go and we are expanding these areas of work further. We have also learnt important lessons after Child Q about the need to put the child first in any of our dealings with young people and we will also be focusing our effort in this area, including working much more closely with our brilliant schools to develop a model which places the needs of the children at the heart of our approach.”
This is one of many events held in Hackney and we will continue working to strengthen relationships with communities, and to rebuild and restore relationships that have been tested in recent years.
To find out more about what your local officers are doing to engage with communities, reduce crime and to tackle anti-social behaviour follow them on @MPSHackney and look out for #ANewMetforLondon
Follow us on Twitter @MPSHackney
+ A New Met for London is available to read on our website.
