Vigilance can report that on Wednesday 16 May, all 27 of Westminster's Safer Neighbourhoods teams (SNT) and Safer Business teams (SBT) took part in a day of community engagement activity. It was said each team arranged an event at a prominent location away from police premises on their respective wards to encourage more people to engage with their local policing teams.
Amongst the number of features at the events included the use of several vintage police cars, a dummy cashpoint machine and presentation, mobile police station, Mounted Branch, dog section, 'PCSO Steve' character, Special Constable recruitment and property marking.
Westminster's SNTs and SBTs publicised the work they are doing to tackle ward priorities, briefed on Operation Trafalgar and the Olympics, delivered crime prevention activity and encouraged local residents to sign up to our local Key Individual Networks (KIN).
Vigilance learnt that by the end of the day the teams had engaged with in excess of 4,000 people, registered interest from 75 people in becoming involved with their ward panels and taken the details of over 700 new contacts to receive community updates from their local teams.
Detective Superintendent Penny Banham said: "I think this is the first time all SNTs on a borough have arranged community engagement events simultaneously on their respective wards. These events have helped us reach out to more people on the borough, both residents and visitors alike and shows how such an approach can strengthen our ties with our local communities.”
Whilst Jack Gordon, Ward Panel Chair for Hyde Park SNT said: "I wholly commend the police at Westminster for adopting this innovative approach to community engagement and feel this will go a long way to cementing good relations between the police and local residents. These events have been warmly received and will encourage more people to talk to police and become involved.”