Kingston’s case for more police

by Sir Edward Davey, M.P

Kingston remains one of London’s safest Boroughs, with crime also well below the average for England. Yet it’s not a contradiction to argue, as I do, that we need more police. The truth is crime everywhere remains too high, including in Kingston.

Moreover, the case for more police officers should not simply be led by statistics on crimes committed. People want crimes investigated and solved - and not just the most serious crimes. They want criminals caught. They want to feel safe and reassured in their communities.

Perhaps more controversially, I believe the case for recruiting more police across London has been strengthened by the recent review by Baroness Casey. That review happened after a series of appalling cases of Met Police officers committing horrific crimes – from the murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens, to the unmasking of another serving officer, David Carrick, as a serial rapist.

Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Police Commissioner, is clear there will be other offending officers who he needs to sack. He rightly wants more power to do so – as he implements the Casey Review’s recommendations.

Crucial recommendations involve reform of how the Met vets recruits and deals with complaints against officers. So as the Casey Review is implemented, we must see a more focussed effort to attract new, diverse and talented people into the Met, including people with experience in other walks of life, with the right skills to fill the worst shortages London’s police face, not least in its detective and other specialist ranks.

And as London’s police ranks swell, I’m determined Kingston gets our fair share. Well-focused and evidenced campaigns for more police can win through – as we showed recently for Kingston’s town centre.

After several years of arguing more police were needed there - due to a combination of daytime street robberies and shoplifting, alongside violent crime and anti-social behaviour linked to the night- time economy and drugs - a new town centre patrol team of 25 officers has been in operation since December 2021. It’s had major successes in tackling crime and working on crime prevention, with a vital focus on making the town a safer place, especially for women and girls.

Since that success, my police campaigns have focused more on arguing for extra community-based police across the Borough as well as supporting the police in their work against Kingston’s high frequency crimes like vehicle crimes, especially the theft of catalytic converters. Kingston police’s recent work on “marking” catalytic converters, to deter their theft, is an excellent example of how local police have responded to people’s concerns.

Burglary – a guaranteed response?

A new national anti-burglary campaign I’ve launched regrettably has an echo here in Kingston –and that’s a policy for a legal duty on police to attend every burglary.

Burglary is a serious crime. Yet despite lots of warm words, too often it’s not been taken seriously enough. Last year alone, across just 19 of England’s 39 police forces, police did not attend on over 45,000 reported burglaries.

Given a large part of the reason for that is how overstretched the Government has left our police, the idea is for a legal duty on both the Home Secretary to provide the resources, and Police Chiefs to deliver a guaranteed police response.

In Kingston, burglary like other crimes has tended to be lower than other boroughs. The number of burglaries in 2022 fell by 7% compared to 2021. Yet that still meant 680 burglaries last year. Moreover, there’s been a sharp rise in burglaries this year with over 140 reported in the first 2 months of 2023. So Kingston’s police are already focusing harder on burglary after this rise.

To help the police and to ensure everyone can feel safe in their homes, with a guaranteed police response if they are burgled, I’m convinced people want to see extra investment in Kingston’s police.