Fleur Anderson Meets with Senior Local Police Officers

Hears about measures to tackle crime and calls for a more visible presence

Fleur Anderson goes on walkabout in Roehampton with local officers

June 30, 2023

Fleur Anderson met with the new borough Superintendent and other senior local police officers in Café Joy in Roehampton this Friday (30 June).

At the meeting along with recently appointed David Bannister was Inspector Paul James and other officers working in the agenda.

The Putney MP heard about measures being taken to tackle crime across the area and renewing her call for a more visible police presence on the streets.

She talked with Superintendent Bannister about the value of officers who have worked in the same area across several years and have crucial historical knowledge, increased use of CCTV, higher visibility and approachability of officers on the ground to develop community trust and what the public can do to minimise their chances of becoming victims of crime.

Fleur Anderson tours the Roehampton area with police officers

Local officers also updated Fleur on current issues. One crime the police have been tackling is criminals drilling into the side of vans during the night to steal work equipment. Police advise that if workers are leaving equipment in their vans overnight, they leave them parked with equipment securely locked and difficult to extract, and ideally parked against a wall to prevent drilling.

Ms Anderson has recently hosted a Public Meeting on tackling crime, attended by over 40 local residents. Following a critical report into the Metropolitan Police by Baroness Casey, the Putney MP is focussed on working alongside the police to tackle crime and restore community confidence.

She said, “I am pleased that we now have additional police resource in both Superintendent David Bannister and additional ward officers, funded by the Mayor of London. There has been an increase in responses by the police and some significant arrests made. I have met with our new Superintendent twice since his appointment in April and will continue to meet with him regularly. Today we met in Roehampton, following our meeting in Thamesfield last month, to discuss the action they are taking on aggravated antisocial behaviour, robberies and vehicle thefts. There are increased patrols and intelligence building to prevent crime. We need high visibility patrols, more officers on the streets, greater community cohesion with police, social services and schools working together to tackle crime at the root causes."

Fleur Anderson's meeting with Superintendent David Bannister, Inspector Paul James and local officers

“It was useful to hear from police about the methods used by criminals to commit crimes and evade arrest. The main advice shared by local officers is to take a proactive approach to your own safety and report any suspicious activity as quickly as possible. I am pleased to hear of how in depth their intelligence gathering operations are in order to prevent crimes before they happen. Please do report any suspicious activity as quickly as possible, no matter how small the information may seem.”

If you notice anything suspicious which isn’t an emergency, officers suggest you first report the information online, and then email it to your local ward team. Residents can find information about their local ward team here.

Fleur attends Parliamentary meeting with new Police Commissioner Mark Rowley

The two top tips from officers locally are not leaving valuables in cars and ensuring your car is locked. Wandsworth Police will be running a catalytic converter marking campaign to prevent thefts and Roehampton ward officers will be taking part in Roehampton Community Week.