Where are the police we pay for?
Andrew Rosindell M.P., Member of Parliament for Romford
It was truly heartwarming to see our local Havering Police out in force last week for Armed Forces Day in Romford. Under difficult circumstances, with so much crime and anti-social behaviour blighting our community, the local police do their utmost to keep us safe and be there when we need them. However, Havering Police are part of the Metropolitan Police, which serve the whole of ‘Greater London’ and now, instead of having our own local Police dedicated to Havering, our borough is part of a tri-borough unit, where our police are shared with Barking & Dagenham and Redbridge. As Romford’s M.P., I was happy to see our dedicated police officers in Romford and salute them for their service, but the fact is, these days, it is rare to see any police patrolling our streets. I remember growing up in Romford when we would always see police out and about, but not anymore. We have too few Police in Havering, compared to other areas and now we share what few we have with higher crime neighbouring boroughs. When there are protests in central London, our police are often sent there, leaving Havering with minimal cover. Reporting a crime isn’t easy and more often than not, there is no follow up that actually leads to criminals being caught. We pay for policing through the enormous precept and business rates we give to the Mayor of London, but figures given to me by Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, show that we simply don’t get our fair share of police cover in Havering. If police resources were spread evenly, Havering would be allocated up to 1,000 police based on our population, but because we are under ‘Greater London’ that doesn’t happen. It is hard to find out exactly how many we do get, but it is a fraction of what we are entitled to. Havering is effectively used to subsidise higher crime inner London boroughs, whilst the streets of Romford, Collier Row, Gidea Park and Hornchurch are left un-policed most of the time. I find this situation completely unacceptable. Havering residents deserve better. We are not getting the Police cover we pay for as Mayor Khan will always put resources into inner London before places like Romford. As Romford’s M.P. I am calling for complete reform of the how the Metropolitan Police are structured and operated. It is time Havering was given the police cover we pay for and radical reform in needed. That is what I will continue to fight for, as your M.P.
