Every home to get mobile phone number to summon dedicated neighbourhood police team

Al Jazeera.net
Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Every household in England and Wales will be given a mobile phone number to call new neighbourhood police teams, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced today.

Each home will also get an email address for the officer responsible for their street and neighbourhood police chiefs will have to hold regular public meetings under the plans, to be rolled out by April.

The £325million-a-year plan, one of the UK's biggest shifts from centralised policing, has been drawn up by Mr Brown and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

Under the system, trialled in Lambeth, south London, each council ward will have its own neighbourhood policing team, made up of police and community support officers.

Mr Brown and Mrs Smith met one of the teams in Clapham, south London today to hear how people would be able to contact and hold their local policing team to account.

Announcing the measures, Mr Brown said: "We know people want more say about their community and a visible and accessible police service that deals with local problems and anti-social behaviour.

"Whilst crime is falling, too many people have a real fear about their communities and feel detached from their police service.

"That is why we've been working with the police on a new style of policing to address local priorities, improve public confidence and make neighbourhoods safer.

"Neighbourhood policing is about giving local people power over how their streets are policed.

"It is a major step towards a new kind of policing, one in which the citizen has real influence.

"The excellent progress made by established teams such as the one in Lambeth are now starting to be rolled out across the country so by April everyone will be able to get involved."

Mrs Smith said: "April will mark the start of a new kind of relationship between the police service and the public.

Full article here.