24/7 Bobbies on the Beat Stamp Out Crime


But where are the teams for Hammersmith?

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has hailed its 24/7 policing policy as a success, and says it has halved robberies in the target areas of Shepherd's Bush and Fulham since its introduction in April.

The statistics also show a large number of drug dealers have been taken off the streets.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council and Met Police chiefs launched Britain's first squad of 24/7 Safer Neighbourhood policemen in April.

Since then teams of one inspector, five sergeants, ten police constables and fifteen police community support officers have been pounding the streets of Fulham and Shepherds Bush 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

However, Hammersmith Broadway councillor Stephen Cowan says the improvements to Shepherd's Bush and Fulham policing came at an initial cost to Hammersmith.

The Labour councillor also says the 24/7 policing policy, introduced by the Conservative-run council, does not show a consistent downward trend.

He said: " The crime figures rose recently and so there's no consistent trend downwards. The Tories said that they expected a fall of between 60 per cent to 80 per cent so by that definition it's not living up to their own expectations.

"While we welcome the extra police in those two wards we think that this has been managed by the Conservatives with an amazing amount of incompetence which is why the Tories initially cut police numbers in Hammersmith Broadway, Askew and Collage Park and Old Oak wards to bail out the financing of this scheme."

Cllr Cowan also said that there was no long term financing deal to guarantee the project after two years.

The council says that since the introduction of the round-the-clock Safer Neighbourhood policemen in April, key crimes have fallen significantly in both Shepherds Bush and Fulham.

Met Police Superintendent John Sutherland, who runs the teams in both these areas, said: "All the key indicators in Fulham are pointing towards a strong downward trend. In addition to this, sound local knowledge and good use of community contacts led to the prevention of an armed robbery and the identification of a suspect wanted for murder.

"The 24/7 team in Fulham is clearly producing strong results. The team have been extremely proactive in preventing and cracking down on serious crime including assaults, burglaries and violence. This is a good start but there is more to do."

Police say in Shepherd's Bush robberies have declined by an impressive 46 per cent. Snatch offences have tumbled by 40 percent.

Anti-social behaviour - which is mainly related to drunks and aggressive beggars - has also been dramatically reduced with the number of streets drinkers down by 75 per cent.

Supt John Sutherland added: "Even if you take into account the falls in these crime types across London, Shepherd's Bush's history as an enduring crime hotspot for robbery and snatch makes this a truly impressive achievement for the first six months of this pilot scheme."

December 14, 2007