Sgt James Peppitt

Sgt James Peppitt gave an update on local policing and community safety issues. Sgt Peppitt is covering the Wimbledon Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) as Marcia Heritage is currently acting Inspector for the area.

James said his priorities include rebuilding trust in the police as there seems to be a drop shown in recent surveys. As a result it is important for officers to be seen out and about and to tackle key local crimes. The local SNTs have changed to match the new ward boundaries but the Police IT system is yet to catch up so is still working on the old ward boundaries.

There is a plan for policing the town centre during the Wimbledon tennis fortnight, including the use of special constables. In addition to combat anti-social behaviour in the evenings there will be additional patrols in the evening and into the night on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays over the summer. A number of 6-month probationers have joined the local teams to provide additional capacity.

Merton has overtaken Sutton as the third safest borough in London behind Richmond and Kingston. There have been a number of issues with dangerous dogs, and several warrants have been issued with further investigations underway.

A resident asked if the Mayor of London’s commission on policing cannabis will change impact on operations. Sgt Peppitt explained that for low level offences there is already a system of Community Resolution, which acts as a warning and officers can also refer to diversion activities like Catch 22 and the Youth Offending Team.

A resident asked Sgt Peppitt why there had been a drop in public confidence in the police. James said that there have been some concerns about visibility and how easy it is to contact the local SNT. As part of the response officers will be going round a different street each week to introduce themselves to residents. James has not seen the detailed results of the surveys so is not sure what other factors have been identified. Results from the surveys are available from the MOPAC website.

Residents can access police contact details on the Met Police website or you can email the ward teams:

Abbey Ward – SWMailbox-.SNTAbbey@met.police.uk

Hillside Ward – Hillside@met.police.uk

Wimbledon Town Centre & Dundonald Ward – Dundonald@met.police.uk

The Wandle Ward mailbox is currently being created, for now residents can email Trinity@met.police.uk.

Cllr Kohler reminded the meeting that each ward has a Panel and residents can get involved by contacting their local SNT.

A resident asked how many officers are in each SNT. James said it is usually two officers and one PCSO per ward, with a Sergeant covering three or four wards. A resident suggested advertising on community noticeboards, and James said he was looking into these options, and knew they needed to utilise more channels to reach residents.

A resident asked about the impact of the uncertain future of Wimbledon police station on confidence in the police locally. James said this has certainly been raised locally by residents but would need to check if the surveys had picked up on this.

Cllr Stringer said that the Met Police are still reviewing their estate strategy, and this has been pushed back until later in the year. Currently there are more officers using Wimbledon station which is good news for its potential future.

A resident asked if crime is going up or down post Covid. James said that some crimes have increased as a result of people being out again whilst others have come down. There has been a decrease in burglary compared to three months ago, but an increase in robbery over same time period. The teams look at trends and then plan accordingly. There is a Burglary and Robbery Team in CID that also look at trends and inform the SNT work. As a result, it is still really important for residents to report crimes.

A resident asked about enforcement on the use of E-scooters. James said there is an official rental scheme being piloted in other boroughs, but many users do not know that they need a license and insurance for privately owned vehicles, so officers do a lot of education. The Safer Transport Teams do a lot of operations, including fining and seizing scooters, and whilst SNT will deal with them it is not usually a priority. The Police are currently waiting on a government review of the law.

A resident asked about the impact of economic trends on crime as the cost-of-living crisis escalates, and James said it was possible it would have impact, but he was not sure exactly what. A resident asked about the theft of catalytic convertors, James said this is a difficult crime to enforce given the speed with which it can be done. There is an ongoing race with car design to prevent theft and the methods criminals use. SNTs check with local scrap metal merchants to make sure they are not trading in catalytic convertors. James would encourage residents to call if they see anything suspicious.

A resident asked about enforcing speed limits, especially in 20 MPH zones. James said residents can raise problem roads with your local SNT and they can work with the Safer Transport Team.  Training is required to use speed guns correctly, but the police can support Community Speed Watch, with residents using them as a deterrent. It also helps residents understand what excessive speed looks like. To enforce 20MPH some form of traffic calming is helpful.