Community Policing
Before becoming an MP, I campaigned to restore proper community policing, where officers have the time and resources they need to focus on preventing and solving crime.
I continue to fight for a fair deal on this, with officers present and visible in our neighbourhoods and on our high streets.
I've called for a local policing hub in Old Malden, and nighttime safety pop ups in town centres across the constituency.
Under the Tories, neighbourhood policing numbers fell by two thirds since 2015.
It’s now up to the Labour Mayor and Labour government to find the political will to reverse those cuts.
Saving Wimbledon Police Station
With Wimbledon Police Station’s long term future still uncertain, I met with Met Office Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, asking him for clarity and a commitment to keeping police on our streets. He's committed to supporting community policing and recognises the importance of Wimbledon Police Station but, with the Met facing a crippling £130m budget shortfall, he could not guarantee its future.
We need more officers on our streets, and they need local stations and bases from which to operate. Whilst my priority as Wimbledon’s MP is to fight to keep our police station, I have stressed to Merton Council that they should be working to save both Wimbledon and Mitcham stations. I’ve raised the issue in Parliament, and locally at a council meeting, and will continue to do all I can in this regard.
Read more about our ongoing campaign and sign the petition here.
Front desk closures
I’ve spoken out against the closure of the public-facing front desk in Wimbledon and police station, and reduced hours in Kingston. I'm deeply concerned about what this means for the long term future of the stations.
At a time when public concern about crime is growing, stripping away vital points of contact between communities and their police is utterly indefensible.
We are seeing the slow dismantling of neighbourhood policing, and it’s happening behind closed doors, without transparency or public input. I’ll keep campaigning for trusted, visible community policing.
Read more about this here
Restoring town centre policing
Local businesses, from shops to hospitality venues, depend on a secure environment to thrive, and people deserve to feel safe on our high streets at all hours of the day.
I met with local police officers who told me about the challenges of covering high street crime in Wimbledon, after losing their dedicated town centre team. They also told me officers were still regularly being "abstracted" from our streets and being redeployed in Central London.
We need officers present and visible, so they’re here when we need them the most. That’s why I’ve joined local Lib Dems in calling for a dedicated town centre police team in Wimbledon (with officers focused on retail crime, ASB & the nighttime economy) and night safety pop up stalls in busy nighttime locations.
You can sign the petition on the Merton Lib Dems page to support the campaign here.
