Agenda item

This presentation provides an update on the Law Enforcement Team.

Matt Hooper (Chief Officer - Safer Neighbourhoods & Regulatory Services), gave a presentation on the role of the Law Enforcement Team (LET) and provided a summary of the following key points.

-       The Council approved the creation of the LET on the 7^th December 2020.

-       This was the largest community safety investment in the history of Hammersmith and Fulham.

-       The reasons why the Team was put in place were outlined.

-       The objectives and core duties of the Team were summarised.

-       The Team carried out high visibility patrols and provide 24-hour coverage Wednesday – Sunday.

-       The Team had legislative tools and powers to undertake their duties.

-       The Team would provide long term solutions to local issues and would work with all Council services to find lasting resolution.

-       An overview was provided of the Team’s early successes and performance to date.

-       An extensive training programme would be offered to all staff (new and existing).

-       Training would be ongoing to ensure that the Council had the most professional and well qualified officers in London.

The Chair queried whether the LET replaced Parks Police and Estate Wardens. In response Matt Hooper (Chief Officer - Safer Neighbourhood & Regulatory Services), explained that the functions of these Teams had been combined into the LET. In total 14 existing members of staff were transferred to the LET.

Councillor Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler asked for clarification to be provided on the types of powers that were available to the Team. Matt Hooper (Chief Officer - Safer Neighbourhoods & Regulatory Services), explained that the Team had powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This included powers to issues fines and fixed penalty notices for fly tipping, littering, abandoned vehicles and highway obstruction. They also had powers under the ASB, Crime & Policing Act 2014  to issue community protection notices and warnings. It was noted that a full list would be emailed to Councillor Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler following the meeting.

Action: Matthew Hooper

Councillor Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler noted that some residents felt that the uniform of the LET was intimidating and made officers appear less approachable.In response Matt Hooper (Chief Officer - Safer Neighbourhoods & Regulatory Services), noted that the Council explored uniform trends across other Local Authorities and discussed the colour scheme in great detail. Currently staff were wearing a temporary uniform and by the end of July all staff members would be provided with their new corporate uniform.

Councillor Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler queried if other boroughs in London had combined all their community safety services, similar to the LET. In response Matt Hooper (Chief Officer - Safer Neighbourhoods & Regulatory Services), explained that the London Borough of Newham and Croydon had taken very similar approaches to .

Councillor Ann Rosenberg queried how quickly was the LET able to respond once an incident was reported. Matt Hooper (Chief Officer - Safer Neighbourhoods & Regulatory Services), explained that the Team was not designed to be a response service. However, the Team had the ability and resources to respond to issues immediately.

Councillor Iain Cassidy asked for further clarification to be provided on the  timescales for clearing abandoned bicycles from places where they were stored across the borough. He also asked how the Team would proactively manage and tackle this issue going forward. In response Matt Hooper (Chief Officer - Safer Neighbourhoods & Regulatory Services), noted that the Council was currently working on putting together a detailed response to these types of issues. Officers were working towards resolving these issues within 48 hours after a call was received. Officers were also trained and equipped to remove the bicycles and act early on if any bicycles clearly looked in an unusable state as part of their day to day duties.

The Chair asked if a communications plan would be executed for the launch of the LET so that residents were able to identify officers within the Borough. In response Matt Hooper (Chief Officer - Safer Neighbourhood), noted that a communications plan had already been written on the identity, role and the legislative powers of the Team. The official launch would take place once the Team was provided with their full uniform by the end of the month.

Councillor Ann Rosenberg asked how the Council anticipated to communicate this with the residents of the Borough. Matt Hooper (Chief Officer - Safer Neighbourhoods & Regulatory Services), explained that the communications plan would be delivered via the channels available to the Council, including social media. Staff would also approach local residents and provide face to face engagement, whilst on duty. Over time the staff would also attend residents’ meetings. In addition, the LET’s roles and responsibilities would be clearly set out on the Council’s website, emphasising  that this was a separate service to the Metropolitan Police.

Councillor Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler asked if residents in the Borough were given priority to joining the LET during the recruitment process. In response Matt Hooper (Chief Officer - Safer Neighbourhoods & Regulatory Services), explained that the Council attempted to recruit local residents. The total number of residents that applied during the recruitment process was lower than anticipated. However, this was something that would be addressed by the Council over time.

Members noted this report.