Lambeth Community Safety

Ensuring that Lambeth is not only safer but also feels safer is the top priority for Labour. The very fact that Community Safety is now a Cabinet post, there was no such position under the previous Lib Dem / Tory administration, shows Labour’s commitment to the safety of the residents of Lambeth - no-one was specifically responsible on the Lib Dem Tory front bench.

There are a number of pressing problems in Lambeth, but the number of crimes committed is actually going down. This is why tackling the perception of crime as well as real instances of crime is vital.

Within the council we are ensuring that section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act is embedded in the work of every department in the council, so that officers are fully aware of their obligations and actively refer to crime reduction proposals when delivering services or developing policy. The community safety team has been formally moved into the Environment directorate to allow for more joined-up, cross-cutting service delivery and create a more efficient way of working.

As part of our strategy we are working closely with the police, residents and other stakeholders to roll out the Safer Neighbourhood Teams – a dedicated team of officers for each ward who liaise directly with residents to identify and tackle anti-social behaviour and crime at the most local level.

To improve Lambeth’s on-street service delivery Labour is undertaking a review of the work of wardens along with the borough’s other “on-street agents”, from street sweepers to highways to housing officers, so we can establish a visible, value for money service that residents can rely on to tackle the damage caused to their communities by anti-social behaviour and make sure the culprits are made to pay. We want to create a service that deals with individual problems faster and more effectively, working alongside Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

Labour is aiming to improve the coverage of CCTV cameras in the Borough and working with businesses to ensure that staff are properly protected and persistent offenders are recognised and barred from shopping districts.

Councillor Mark Bennett has been chosen as Labour’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety. This is a tough role at an exciting time for Lambeth. There is lots to do but having begun to work with key stakeholders such as the Police, the Drug & Alcohol Action Team, the Domestic Violence Strategy Group, the Metropolitan Policy Authority and many others he is confident that a Labour council, supported by a Labour Mayor and a Labour government can achieve a safer Lambeth to live, work and learn.