PC Manning from Raynes Park Safer Neighbourhood Team gave an update on local policing issues. PC Manning joined the team four months ago and is now one of two ward officers. Ward panel sets priorities each quarter. The team are problem orientated and will work with communities to find solutions to their priorities.

The three priorities in Raynes Park are youth anti-social behaviour (ASB), motor vehicle crime, and burglaries.

Motor vehicle crime is low in Raynes Park compared to London and other parts of the borough but there have been a few incidents. The team conduct reassurance visits, gather CCTV or resident evidence. They set up a joint operation with the Traffic team involving the low visibility patrols at night. This resulted in a decrease in catalytic convertor thefts. The team has also been holding events in Raynes Park and Wimbledon to assist residents in preventing thefts.

On burglaries the team used crime mapping to identify locations for additional patrols and this resulted in a reduction of 50%. The team will continue to conduct reassurance visits. The team has also been working on parcel thefts on the Apostles.

There are two main ASB issues on the high street and on the Carters Estate. The team has created a portfolio of those involved in both areas.

A few shops have been targeted on the High Street, namely Starbucks, Co-op, and Waitrose. The team is working with these stores to identify opportunities to improve security. The Co-op has been especially targeted, so the team is working with the staff, but the layout and the CCTV is poor. The Area Operations Manager and Security Manager visited the store recently and committed to improving the CCTV arrangements. A new manager at Waitrose will also hopefully meet with the team soon, along with their external security team. There have also been increased patrols on High Street following robberies from young people of their phones. As a result, four youths were stop and searched, and three arrested for theft from the Co-op.

On the Carters Estate the team is working with Clarion and LBM. The team has visited three addresses of those responsible for some of the ASB and made home visits to residents reporting issues. The team conducted Stop and Search of six individuals who were smoking cannabis in stairwells of buildings that were not their own. Clarion will be replacing doors on the estate to increase security. The team are also working with the schools’ officer at Raynes Park High School to identify the young people involved.

A resident asked about boundaries and for contact details for other Safer Neighbourhood teams. PC Manning said that the SNT teams now match LBM ward boundaries and contact details can be found online.

A resident asked what will be done to stop ongoing harassment of residents by young people involved in ASB. PC Manning said they working across other ward teams and school teams to identify those involved and take action against them.

A resident said that young people are smoking cannabis by the parklet and PC Manning asked that residents let the team know where these locations are so they can target hotspots.

A resident on Gore Road asked about people outside regularly making noise still at 3am, so who should they contact to report this to. PC Manning said that in an emergency call 999, or otherwise you can report issues online, or in the case of noise or ASB report to LBM.

A resident asked about plans to extend the SNTs and PC Manning said that a Sergeant covers several wards, and then there are two PCs and one PCSO per ward. Another resident asked how much time the team spend on the ward. PC Manning said it varies as they often have to cover other events such as the coronation, Wimbledon, football matches and the response teams. Five out of six days are usually on the ward and hopefully SNTs will be a bigger priority in the future.

A resident said they were disappointed in the Co-op response and the message it sends to staff, residents, and police. PC Manning said that this is not a new issue, and they get a lot of calls to Co-op, 13 in the last month. The poor design of the store does not help.

Cllr Willis asked if the team are looking for new members of the Ward Panels. PC Manning said the Raynes Park panel is meeting on Friday at the Salvation Army Church, and new people are welcome. The leader of the Korean church will also hopefully be joining the panel after the team reached out to the Korean community.