At the Sept Local Committee meeting we heard about the impact of government cuts on policing in Sutton.  Inspector Ian Hicks, in charge of neighbourhood policing in the Borough, told us of some upcoming challenges resulting from the Government’s £600m cut to the Met’s budget.

There are plans to reduce the number of buildings they use, which will mean the loss of the Worcester Park police ‘shop’.  They are flattening their command structure – ie each level will have to manage more people below them, and there is a proposal to merge the Sutton Borough command with Croydon and Bromley.  This last proposal is of concern as Croydon, particularly, is a higher crime borough than Sutton, and this could lead to a leakage of resources.  The size of ward police teams is being reduced, so instead of a team being led by a sergeant, the sergeant will now lead four wards, and each ward team will have only two PCs and a PCSO.  However, some central support will be available to them so Ian Hicks expect the teams to be able to spend more time om the streets.

Inspector Hicks told us the latest news that we are now the safest Borough in London, and he is determined, despite the changes, to keep it that way.