Toby Harris - "Tough targets set by the MPA are achievable"

33/04
28 April 2004

Toby Harris, chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said today at the Met’s announcement of their annual crime statistics for 2003/04:

“Firstly, I want to commend the Met for its determination in tackling those offences of most concern to Londoners, in particular street crime and burglaries, which combine to blight people’s lives and raise fears around their personal safety.

“The Safer Streets initiative has turned around a level of crime which was fast approaching crisis point; while the reduction in burglaries to a 29 year low is an incredible achievement and one of which the entire service can be proud.

“The Trident team also deserve special mention for reducing Trident-related murders by half and attempted murders by almost a quarter. They operate in difficult and dangerous circumstances and deserve our heartfelt thanks.

“The success reflected in the figures before us today is the direct result of a number of different elements.

“The first is the deliberately tough and testing targets set by the Metropolitan Police Authority, where we make demands that we know will stretch the Met but that we believe are fully achievable with a more focused and tightly defined use of intelligence-led policing together with more effective resource management.

“To make this possible, we have worked with the Home Secretary, the Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair and the Mayor to ensure that the Met has the resources it needs to deliver an effective, efficient and fair police service for the people of London.

“In particular, we have been determined to increase significantly the number of uniformed police patrols on our streets. The Met now has more police officers than at any time in its history and more than a thousand Police Community Support Officers - an initiative driven forward by Sir Ian Blair. That these officers have been trained and deployed so quickly and so successfully is as a direct result of his single-minded determination.

“The introduction of Police Community Support Officers is already having an impact on deterring nuisance and anti-social crimes. We expect even greater improvements across the board as dedicated police teams, combining uniformed police officers and PCSOs are introduced under the Safer Neighbourhoods initiative.

“And we must not forget the huge contribution of community and borough-based teamwork, in particular the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships; and last but not least, the unstinting effort put in by police officers and staff across London.”

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