Chief Inspector (CI) Whitehead presented an update on the crime statistics for Merton.  Burglaries are down and theft of vehicles have gone up.

New officers have been moved from Earlsfield to Wimbledon so the borough has increased resources.

Seema Shah updated the meeting with the Mayor of London’s targets for increasing diversity in the police force.  The Mayor set targets to increase diversity by 20% by 2024 and 28% by 2030.  She gave details of the Outreach Recruitment programme being undertaken by the Police.  A 3 year Apprenticeship is being offered and the only entry requirements are grade C GCSE English and Maths.  The programme is comprised of an 80:20 split between the class room and placement and is being run by 4 London universities. The salary is £30K per annum.

Q: What plans are there to give support to stop BAME communities being targeted like criminals?

A: The BAME recruits will be given support and assistance.

Q: What is stopping people from joining the Police?  What are their fears and the support available?

A: Support will be provided to get qualifications. It is too early to say and assumptions can’t be made.

Q: Young Black boys are still getting harassed by the Police, how will the Police change the narrative?  Officers need to treat young people with respect.

Q: Details were given of community events that the Police had been invited to but did not attend.  It was suggested that the Police needs to use another approach, e.g. using Carnival to do a recruitment drive.

A: The Police do use carnival to recruit, but there is concern about those who get injured.

Q: Is there an upper age limit for the recruitment and selection?

A: The age limit is 57, applications can be made at 17 and applicants may be employed as PCs at 18. There is a target to recruit 40% BAME women and it is a good opportunity for women who are career transitioning.

Q: To what extent will the initiative help to smash gangs and improve the effectiveness of tackling County Lines?

A: These are two huge problems and making improvements in trust through better communication could help to improve matters. Better communication and recruitment and selection will improve trust.

Q: Why has violence against the person gone up so much? What is being done to employ more senior BAME people?  A real change is needed from the top down.

A: It depends on how change is quantified.  The Police service does need to be more inclusive, there is a working group looking at the top level.

A: The crime statistics are not broken down by BAME categories.  The increase in Domestic Violence during the pandemic is part of the reason for the increase in violence against the person.

Q: How can noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour be dealt with?

A: Ward Officers can try to sort out such problems.  The Safer Neighbourhood Team and Noise Nuisance Team may also provide support.

Q: What support is there for officers in the line of duty? What is the relationship between the Regulars and Specials? Why do officers move so regularly?

A: The officers move on for promotion or to get experience in a new area.  There are 68 staff in Merton and recruitment and retention is being looked at, but for development people move on.  You can’t make people stay in the same role for too long.  Every effort is being made to keep people in roles for some time.

Q: The increase in Domestic Violence is definitely the reason for the increase in violence against the person. Due to the pandemic, the courts have been shut ad cases not listed. Wimbledon has a special Domestic Violence court, however, the court is struggling to hear all the cases.

Q: Stop and Search is still a problem and has not eased up for Black people.

A: The Police could do better.  If people have concerns they can contact the Stop and Search panel.  Body worn camera is also reviewed.  It is not always possible to fully explain the reasons for stop and search because the Police have to take control.

Q: What are we doing to stop knife crime and protect people?

A: Stop and Search is the main way of detecting knife carrying – young Black people are 8 times more likely to be a victim of knife crime.

Q: Is there any data on Hate crime and the level of mental health cases?

A: CI Whitehead did not have the data and encouraged representatives to join the borough’s Independent Advisory Group (IAG).

Q: Representatives have not heard of the Stop and Search panel, so it needs to be advertised to schools and colleges.

Q: How will the relationship be improved?  More interventions could be done to see the Police in a positive light.

Q: What is the percentage retention of BAME Officers?

A: No statistics are available on retention rates.  In November 15.3% of PCs are from a BAME background.