H&F's new Labour administration delivers biggest ever increase in locally funded police numbers

H&F’s Chief Superintendent Gideon Springer

with Council Leader Stephen Cowan

and Cllr. Sue Fennimore

Hammersmith and Fulham's new Labour run council today announced it has acted to deliver the biggest increase in H&F funded police numbers in the borough's history. The number of locally-funded police officers in the borough will go up more than 20% after the Labour administration signs a historic deal with the Metropolitan Police.

 

H&F will fund 44 officers which is up from 36. The funding for the scheme was won when Labour councillors negotiated millions of extra pounds from property developers on deals the former Conservative administration had previously already agreed and closed the book on.

 

The borough's Labour councillors took action to put extra police on the streets in response to the Conservative Lib/Dem government's drastic cuts to local police funding which has seen 32 police officers taken off Hammersmith and Fulham's streets.

 

In the run up to the last election H&F Labour councillors made an early pledge to "defend neighbourhood policing" and "put police back on the beat".

 

Cllr Sue Fennimore, H&F's Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion said the extra police officers will play a vital role in tackling crime across the whole borough commenting "H&F's residents want safer neighbourhoods and we're determined to reduce crime and take all necessary measures to cut the causes of crime.

 

Council leader Stephen Cowan told us “Residents voted for our promise to deliver extra policing and I am glad that we have been able to negotiate these extra funds and deliver on our promise within our first six months in office".