Safer Neighbourhoods successes

We heard it again on the BBC's Mayoral Debate on Tuesday: the Conservative slander that Safer Neighbourhoods Police teams (SNTs) aren't "real police".

Of course the Tories don't want to admit that SNTs have a value and purpose: they fought against their introduction tooth and nail and they've refused to give any reassurance they won't sack Putney's forty SNT offices. In fact, London Assembly Conservative Leader Brian Barnes is on record as saying the Metropolitan Police budget is too large!

Well, the Putney SW15 website is now reporting two more examples of the practical difference SNTs make in our communities - in West Hill by busting a cannabis factory worth £20,000, and in Roehampton breaking up two more drugs dens. And this on the back of the breakthrough a few weeks ago by the West Putney SNT in tackling the dangerous dogs menace there, which I wrote about at the time.

Enough's enough: it's time for the Conservatives to stop running down our Police. Regardless of their title and responsibilities, our Safer Neighbourhoods teams are living up to their name: making our neighbourhoods safer and contributing to the low crime rate I report month-in, month-out.

I have attended a number of public meetings that Putney's SNTs have held to publicise their work and get feedback on local crime concerns. I have never seen Justine Greening at any of these meetings so haven't been able to challenge her to stop this sniping against our police. I hope she, and Putney's Conservative councillors, will pause for thought the next time they run down the hard work of our SNTs.