As a local resident and local youth, I feel divorced from the current community safety engagement and dialogue process. In addition, it is incredibly disappointing that local youngsters and adults alike, continue to be unaware who their SN Team officers are. This will not contribute to increasing confidence in the police, nor will it contribute to building positive links between community and police.

I praise the objectives and purpose of CPCGs throughout London, however, we must never neglect the wide ranging community concern of local residents on policing. Furthermore, listening to the opinions and concerns of the communities across Haringey will become fundamental in the success of our Safer Neighbourhoods. Despite the very many youth initiatives and programmes to involve young people in building confidence in the police, we should rather be attempting to draw them into the central membership of their local CPCG, additionally their local ward panels.

Having acquired the opinions of a wide spectrum of individuals and young people throughout Haringey, they all share the opinion that,
meetings with police are “imperative” to the process, but police should trust the community, not feel any criticism is an opposition to the police. What I have found from my own experience, whenever I articulate my annoyance and anger against the police by raising it with officers, they adopt a defensive tactic. Either their way or no way agenda. I prefer to see the police as partners locally, not as the community’s enemies. Therefore, I would like to see more trust on both sides. The CPCGs throughout London are not fully representative or reflective of the wide spectrum of concerns and opinions of their local community. We need to draw in youth, elderly, middle aged professionals and all other under-represented groups. This must without doubt include those who have endured difficulty with the police via stop and search or other offences, where they feel they have been wrongly targeted etc. We need a true reflection to be represented, not the same people always attending.

My local SN Panel fails to involve all local residents, rather they involve Cllr John Oakes and others. They do not represent me and nor do they speak for me. I have my own community safety and policing concerns, which I would like to present directly to police. Why am I and many other local people excluded from the process?

I must applaud the police that over the several months, there has been enormous improvements to policing in my ward. I single out the excellent presence of police escorting school kids to leave their school premises after schooling hours. This reassurances communities that our children and young people are safe and that any anti-social behaviour can be promptly dealt with.

The Safer Neighbourhood Team has on the isolated occasion done a first rate job and I myself have had many positive comments from members of the public about their work. However, there is always room for improvement.

Thanks

Mash