It was a great pleasure to welcome Tony McNulty, the Minister for Police, to north Westminster on Tuesday. Tony and I joined local police, City Guardians, councillors and residents on a walk through Little Venice and Westbourne, stopping off at the Amberley estate clubhouse, to see at first hand how crime and anti-social behaviour are being responded to locally.

The introduction of Neighbourhood Police Teams across Westminster has helped cut crime and raise public reassurance- time and time again, when asked, members of the public have said that they want to see ‘visible policing, on the street’, and that is what Neighbourhood policing has done. This has been very usefully complemented in many areas by the warden patrols, supported by the government through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and delivered through the City Guardians programme.

However, there are still challenges to be overcome. Too many Anti Social Behaviour orders are still being breached; and problems still exist with drug dealing and related nuisance around the Prince of Wales junction, for example. Tony McNulty discussed with local police how best to deal with these issues, such as improved communication between agencies and making sure that the early hours are covered if there is evidence of drug dealing taking place at such times.

Notes:
Tony McNulty is the Home Office minister with special responsibility for policing.
The visit was carried out with the Westbourne Safer Neighbourhood Police Team including Sergeant Ken Taylor.
They were joined by Labour Councillors for Westbourne ward Rupert D’Cruz and Papya Qureshi.
Every ward in London has its own dedicated Safer Neighbourhood Police Team since April thanks to investment in policing by the London Mayor and national government.