Wednesday 21 July East Dulwich Safer Neighbourhood Team ward panel we were issued with a letter from New Scotland Yard. It stated rather draconian centralist changes – Ian_McPherson_letter. Sad that our borough commander who proposed changes keeping SNT intact isn’t being allowed to manage his team or budgets.

As East Dulwich crime rate is now so low East Dulwich SNT will share a sergeant with Village ward SNT with both teams on duty at the same time rather than staggered and covering each others patch.

Each SNT will have their marked patrol and unmarked vehicles removed. Currently SNT are focused on crime prevention. The changes are that they will be on duty when crime occurs but with no vehicles to respond – I kid you not!

The team will also be more often ‘extracted’ for other duties, not just royal weddings and olympics but for example the next two weeks to address street drinking in Camberwell Green ward.

Effectively the SNT concept is being killed.

If you think this is wrong tell Ian McPherson (ian.mcpherson2@met.police.uk) and Boris Johnson (mayor@london.gov.uk)- bizarre he’s allowing this so close to mayoral elections. Ideally borough commanders should be left to command.

IT GETS WORSE. The Youth Offending Service is currently based in the centre of Southwark (Bradenham Estate). This service receives all Southwark’s offending youths. It is planned to more this Southwark wide service to Crown House on East Dulwich Road in East Dulwich when the housing office is closed. They absolutely have to go somewhere. But 2/3rd of Southwark live north of Peckham Road. Moving a service to be remote from the bulk of its users appears to make little sense. uit’s also making it harder for youngsters to attend appointments so more will default and be arrested.
If you think this is daft then please contact your local MP Tessa Jowell (jowellt@parliament.uk) who might be able to influence the Labour led Southwark Council to find other accommodation more centrally located.