Officers will focus on busy public areas (credit: Met Police)
Around 500 officers will form town centre teams, focusing on busy public places and areas were women and girls often feel unsafe.
Barking, Ilford, Woolwich and Stratford are some of the areas set to benefit from one of the 19 teams.
This comes following regular feedback from the public asking for more visible policing presence in their local areas.
The teams will typically be made up of one Inspector, two sergeants and 21 police constables. Once in place local police leaders will have discretion to increase the size of the teams should that be required.
The chosen locations have been decided using data and intelligence on areas that generate the most policing demand, areas with higher crime levels and/or areas where confidence in the police is low.
A further 150 officers will join London’s dedicated ward officers, who are already based in communities, working to drive down crime and solve local concerns.
Met Police Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave, said: “Our growth enables us to increase our presence in busy neighbourhoods and town centres and be even more focused on protecting people and solving the long-term crime and anti-social behaviour issues we know people care about most – like violent crime, and violence and harassment committed against women and girls.
“Local policing is at the heart of everything we do and we know that we are so much more effective if we are in communities and neighbourhoods, working side-by-side with all Londoners, listening and engaging with them, tackling the issues that make them feel unsafe.
“We want communities to regularly see and get to know their local officers, so that they trust and have confidence in them, knowing they are there to protect and keep them safe.”
The town centre teams follow the creation of 12 Predatory Offender Units in 2020, which to date have arrested more than 2,000 suspects for domestic abuse, sex offences and child abuse.
It’s expected that the first few town centre teams will be in place by the end of this year, however, all teams are expected to have been implemented by spring 2022.
The full list of London boroughs and the locations of town centre teams are:
Westminster, West End.
Barking and Dagenham, Barking.
Redbridge, Ilford.
Croydon, Croydon.
Bromley, Bromley.
Lewisham, Lewisham.
Greenwich, Woolwich.
Lambeth, Brixton.
Hillingdon, Uxbridge
Hounslow, Hounslow.
Camden, Camden and Euston.
Haringey, Wood Green.
Enfield, Edmonton.
Kingston Upon Thames, Kingston.
Hackney, Shoreditch.
Brent, Wembley and Harlesden.
Newham, Stratford.
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Tags: Stratford, Ilford, Barking, Metropolitan Police, Crime, Met Police, Woolwich
