‘Burglars’ paradise’ fears - Police speak out against plans to axe officer response team bases in West Hampstead and Holborn

Published: 03 February 2011
by JAMIE WELHAM

CRIMINALS will have the run of a “burglars’ paradise” if senior officers press ahead with plans to axe emergency response teams from two police stations in Camden, it has been claimed.

Opponents of the plans say closing patrol bases at West Hampstead and Holborn police stations would see officers scrambling across the borough to respond to 999 calls and give thieves precious extra minutes to make a getaway.

And they want to know why officials have failed to properly inform the public of the plans.

One response officer who contacted the New Journal on the condition of anonymity claimed proposals had been hidden from the public due to fears of a backlash. It would mean reconfiguring Camden’s five response teams and housing them in a single “super station” in Kentish Town, as revealed by borough commander John Sutherland two weeks ago. 

It is understood the proposal had been kept from the council, whose own head of community safety Abdul Hai admitted to only finding out when it was announced at the community and police consultative group meeting on January 18.

The response officer said the new model had been imposed on the 250 or so officers that make up the borough’s response teams – frontline officers tasked with responding to emergency 999 calls – currently divided between Kentish Town, Holborn and West Hampstead.

Borough commander Mr Sutherland has said the proposal is about “making Camden safer” based on operational considerations and was not a reaction to pressure to make savings. He said critical response times currently set at a target of 12 minutes would not be affected because officers are assigned to area beats, meaning they would not be “sitting waiting” in Kentish Town.

The police source said: “At West Hampstead we often catch early morning burglars. We can be there in two minutes. The response time is 12. They can be over the hills and far away coming up from Kentish Town. It will be a burglars’ paradise.

“Towards the end of shift officers will be close to their home station wherever it is. To go from Kentish to West Hampstead can take half an hour. Even on blue lights it can take some time.”

Police have also introduced new shift patterns for response officers, replacing traditional 12-hour shifts with eight-hour patrols. Police say the change is about responding to demand and being more flexible at times when more officers are needed.

Keith Moffit, Lib Dem councillor for West Hampstead ward and the part’s leader, lives next to the police station. He said: “It does seem disappointing that at this stage there hasn’t been a public conversation about this. I think I probably could be persuaded that response times would be unaffected, although I am concerned, but my bigger worry is where does this leave the future of West Hampstead police station.”

Chief Superintendent Sutherland previously told the New Journal officers were only in the discussion stage and a decision had not yet been made.

He said: “I understand there will be a degree of nervousness, but it has worked in other boroughs.”