The boys in blue go greener

42/01
22 June 2001

Police officers in the Caribbean will be wearing the Metropolitan Police's obsolete metvests as part of a recycling scheme in the Met's Environmental Strategy. This is just one of the many innovative ideas unveiled in the Environmental Strategy and Report published this week.

Toby Harris Chair of the MPA said:

"Environmental issues are high priority for Londoners and this strategy shows that the Met is working hard to ensure that its operational obligations are balanced with the needs of the environment.

"The MPA fully endorses and warmly welcomes the Met's Environmental Strategy and Progress Report, which sets a strong lead for other public bodies to follow.

"This is an issue that is relevant and important to everyone in London and one that all sections of the community must come together on to maximise impact."

As well as signing up to recognised 'green' objectives such as recycling, managing waste and reducing the level of harmful emissions, the Met is working on many advanced schemes. These include recycled packaging materials, pens and pencils made from vending cups and recycled cardboard, recovering 10.8 tonnes of lead and 8.0 tonnes of brass from the 1.8 million rounds used at firearm training sessions, and recycling some of the 1,217,088 aluminum canned drinks bought each year throughout the Met.

Darren Johnson, Member of the MPA and the Mayor's environmental advisor, said:

"The London police service is developing a track record of taking action on the environment. They are a high pressured, high profile organisation who are putting into practice the kind of environmental strategy which every big public and private sector organisation should have."

Staff awareness and training is also important. For example free rail travel secured by the MPA for all officers within a 70 mile radius of London and the Met's interest free season ticket loan scheme encourages the use of public transport, rather than cars. In house training and information is made available and plans are currently underway to develop an environment site on the Met's Intranet.

Keith Luck, Director of Resources at the Met said:

"We all need to be aware of the importance of environmental issues and be responsive to the demands which arise if we are to fulfill our commitment to be an environmentally responsible public service."

The policy includes environmental performance indicators and targets for 2002, and covers sustainable development, climate change and atmospheric pollution, energy, water and waste management, transport and health and hygiene. The environmental improvement programme started in 1991 and concentrates on two main issues: reducing the adverse impact the Met has on the environment and improving the way that it measures that environmental impact.

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