Councillor Calls For Continued Police Funding
FOR IMMEDIATE USE 25/09/2022
David Taylor, a Councillor in Romford town centre, has called on Havering Council to continue funding the Havering Joint Task Force. With a decision on the funding due soon, Taylor says the task force are “much needed, and impressively effective”.
Since 2020, Havering Council have provided funding for Havering Join Task Force, an intelligence lead team tasked to tackle local crime. In April 2022, the Joint Task Force were recognised by London Metropolitan Police. In partnership with Essex Police the task force targeted gang members, drug dealers, and burglars through Operation Gambler. They have recovered over 100 stolen vehicles and arrested some of Havering’s most high-profile offenders.
“Havering is generally considered a low-crime borough, when compared to the rest of London”, Cllr Taylor said, “however, we do have a problem with anti-social behaviour and vehicle theft”.
Cllr Taylor says his inbox is full of residents asking the council to do more.
“People don’t feel safe, they are worried about losing their car and many tell me Romford town centre is a no-go area. This upsets me.”
“The Joint Task Force are an obvious part of the solution. They are Havering focused and funded, meaning they don’t get dragged around the capital as some other teams do. This makes them impressively effective, and I hope they get the funding they need”.
Havering Council is due to decide on whether to provide the task force with an additional £300k, to fund the team for another year. Cllr Taylor doesn’t expect the funding to be withdrawn but says it’s unclear as to what cuts will be made over the next few months.
“I don’t expect the new administration to cut the task-force funding, doing so would be a huge mistake and undo the hard work that our police have put into the town. I’m proud to call Romford home and our local police are part of the reason for that”.
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Notes to editors:
Details on the decision can be found at https://democracy.havering.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=40830&PlanId=265&RPID=4247388
Photos:
Contact:
David Taylor
Phone: 07878 132 549 Email: hello@davidtaylor.london