Metropolitan Police Authority: Panel established to review development plans for the Metropolitan Police Estate

55/08
31 October 2008

The Metropolitan Police Authority has established a panel of Authority members to review Metropolitan Police Estate development plans, including future community engagement programmes.

Steve O'Connell, Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority Finance and Resources Committee, said:

"The police estate plays a vital role in supporting the delivery of effective and efficient policing for communities across the capital.

"But many of our buildings are quite literally unfit for purpose, constructed in an age when the technologies, transport and working methods we take for granted were undreamed of. The estate must serve everybody's needs - the police need modern facilities to tackle crime, while the public want and deserve a visible presence in their midst to reassure them that the police can respond to crime effectively.

"Plans to modernise police facilities were published at the end of last year and included a three-month consultation period to enable local communities to comment on the proposals. We now recognise that these well-intentioned plans were poorly presented and gave the impression that every borough should conform to an identical, one-size-fits-all plan. This was never the case, as we recognise the size and complexity of some boroughs need far more tailored solutions. Community consultation was also inadequate in some boroughs and failed to engage widely enough.

"Added to these concerns, the current economic climate means that budgets will become increasingly tight and therefore impact on development plans, so while building projects that are already underway will continue, long-term projects need to be reviewed.

"Consequently, the Authority has established an MPA member panel to revisit the plans and provide some clarity between strategy and delivery of the estate modernisation programme, including the issue of meaningful public consultation. The panel will present its findings to the Authority in Spring 2009.

"I want to stress three things to reassure Londoners: no decisions about the police estate in London have been taken; meaningful consultation will take place where communities have raised substantial objections to potential changes; and no buildings with front counter facilities, where people can engage in face to face contact with the police, will be closed without fully operational, improved facilities being opened first."

Notes for Editors

The MPA member panel comprises Graham Speed (independent member) Chairman, Dee Doocey (Assembly member) and Len Duvall (Assembly member). Terms of Reference for the panel will be presented to the next meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee on 20 November.

Further media information

For further information, please contact the MPA press office

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