Hammersmith & Fulham Community Safety Board - Londoners engaging locally with the police

29/05
21 June 2005

The Metropolitan Police Authority has established a new and innovative model of community police consultation in Hammersmith & Fulham to engage local people on issues of public safety, crime and disorder in their borough.

The Hammersmith & Fulham Community Safety Board holds its first public meeting this evening (21 June), opening its doors to members of the local community to ask questions about relations between the community and police.

The Board, comprising representatives from the borough’s diverse communities, will make it possible for people to engage with Hammersmith & Fulham police, the council and the MPA in constructive discussion about crime, community safety issues and local responses.

Cindy Butts, MPA link member for Hammersmith & Fulham, said:

“The Hammersmith & Fulham Community Safety Board has been established as a new way for people in the borough to understand, influence, challenge and support the policing decisions that affect the quality of our everyday lives.

“One of the MPA’s priorities is to transform community engagement to help Londoners secure more responsive policing at a local level – exactly what the Hammersmith & Fulham Community Safety Board has been designed to achieve.

“The Authority is committed to enabling Londoners to have their say in policing. It is our duty to ensure they have this opportunity to contribute to police planning at a strategic level.

“I’d encourage everyone in Hammersmith & Fulham who can to come along and participate, and am looking forward to seeing many people at this and future public meetings.”

Councillor Cllr Reg McLaughlin, Hammersmith & Fulham’s cabinet member for social inclusion said:

“Local residents have told us that living in a safer borough is high on their list of priorities, therefore I am pleased that the Council is involved in this new partnership to engage residents and local communities in discussions with those directly involved in tackling public safety, crime and disorder in the borough.

"I look forward to the Community Safety Board developing over time and widening our dialogue with residents to provide us with their their perspective on how we can work together to make the borough a safer place to live and work.”

Heather Valentine, Hammersmith & Fulham Borough Commander, said:

“In order that my team can deliver the best possible service to everyone in Hammersmith & Fulham, it is vital that I have frequent and open lines of communication with all parts of our community, including people who live here, go to school here, work or come to the borough for social occasions. Keeping people safe is my priority together with providing a first-class service.

“Involving local people in what we're trying to achieve, and more importantly, consulting them in shaping the way in which we provide a service, is an integral part of the way we work in this borough. The Community Safety Board is one of many ways in which I hold a dialogue with local people and in my view it plays a crucial and fundamental role in my consultation with local people.”

Notes to editors

1. The Hammersmith & Fulham Community Safety Board is made up of 28 representatives from the borough’s diverse communities and is attended by the borough police commander, the lead councillor for social inclusion and the Metropolitan Police Authority link member.

2. Hammersmith & Fulham and Islington are the first boroughs in London to get a Community Safety Board, but a number of other boroughs have already expressed interest in this approach and some of the capital’s existing Community Police Consultative Groups are looking to adapt and restructure themselves along similar lines. For details of the Islington CSB please see the press release 05-25

3. Hammersmith & Fulham Community Safety Board will hold themed public meetings one evening every two months.

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