End The Merry Go Round of Metropolitan Police Turnover (Dee Doocey)

End The Merry Go Round of Metropolitan Police Turnover

January 6, 2009 9:45 AM

Dee Doocey, Liberal Democrat London Assembly spokesperson on policing and a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority is challenging the Metropolitan Police to reduce the rapid turnover of sergeants heading up Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

Figures obtained by Dee Doocey reveal that across London one in four sergeants have been heading up a Safer Neighbourhood Team for less than six months. The figures further reveal that 43% of sergeants have been in place for less than one year and in total only 41% have been in place for over two years.

Commenting on the figures Dee Doocey said:

"Safer Neighbourhood policing should be about the police engaging with local communities and building up effective working relations with local groups and individuals. However the rapid turnover of sergeants is undermining the impact that Safer Neighbourhood Teams should have. Inevitably expertise and local knowledge is lost every time a sergeant moves on. Members of the public also find it hard to engage with Safer Neighbourhood Teams if the person heading up their local team is in post for such a short period of time.

"Staff turnover is inevitable in every profession but it is time the Metropolitan Police realised that successful Neighbourhood Teams depend on communities having the same sergeant in place for a number of years, not months."