Writing for Inside Croydon, Caroline Pidgeon AM discusses the issues that have caused the public in London to lose confidence in the Metropolitan Police.
Caroline concludes:
The issues facing the Met are varied and complex, but radical action is needed to tackle the drop in confidence the Met has seen. We need to re-open and replace the police front counters lost in recent years, as well as finding new ways to encourage engagement between communities and the police.
We also need to see swift and comprehensive action to challenge disproportionality in the force, not just warm words. We must see a move away from policing tools such as suspicion-less stop and search and LFR and instead see a renewed focus on an effective and robust model of British community policing in London.
Sir Robert Peel, the founder of London’s police force, said that “the ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police actions, behaviour and the ability of the police to secure and maintain public respect.”
The current model is not working and the figures on public confidence speak volumes. The Mayor and the Commissioner need to take notice.
You can read Caroline's full article here.