Agenda item

8.05pm – Councillor Andrew Dinsmore moved, seconded by Councillor Adrian Pascu-Tulbure, the special motion in their names.

“This Council recognises the significant harm caused by violent crime across the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Whilst this Council champions the excellent work of the Law Enforcement Teams, it recognises that they do not have the necessary powers of arrest and are not properly equipped nor trained to deal with violent crime.

Further, whilst the Council thanks the Gangs Unit, it accepts that more must be done to tackle gangs and violent crime.

This Council therefore calls upon the Administration to review its current policy of funding substantial numbers of Law Enforcement Officers at the expense of additional Police Officers who have the powers, training and equipment to tackle the violent crime that is now widespread in the Borough.”

Councillor Andrew Dinsmore made a speech on the motion for the Opposition.

Under Standing Order 15(e)(6), Councillor Rebecca Harvey moved, seconded by Councillor Nikos Souslous, an amendment:

“Delete all after “This Council” and replace with:

“deeply regrets that Conservative opposition councillors are soft on crime.

The Council notes how the opposition group opposed the creation of the H&F Law Enforcement Team, campaigned to abolish it during the local elections and continues to demand that funding for the Law Enforcement Team is cut, which would be devastating to the safety of local people.

The Council notes that despite crime-fighting being the responsibility of national and regional governments, H&F’s Labour administration has stepped in to provide the biggest investment in fighting crime of any comparative council in the UK and the largest investment in this Borough’s history. The administration’s comprehensive approach includes the following:

• H&F has deployed Britain’s most comprehensive CCTV network;
• H&F is investing an extra £5.5 million on CCTV to improve and grow the borough’s 24/7 network of CCTV cameras over the next five years;
• H&F created the country’s largest Law Enforcement Team, with 72 Law Enforcement Team officers solely dedicated to making Hammersmith & Fulham’s streets safer;
• H&F pioneered a specialised Gangs Unit dedicated to safeguarding children and young people;
• H&F has deployed dedicated protection officers to support women and girls; and
• H&F works closely with the Met to coordinate crime-fighting actions.

The Council recognises that after 13 years of bad Conservative government, crime is out of control in many parts of England. It notes that this places huge pressure on the Met in London. It recognises that Hammersmith & Fulham’s allotted Met police officers continue to be diverted outside of the Borough to other tasks such as protecting public buildings, policing protests, policing football matches and police other public order tasks outside of Hammersmith & Fulham. The Met therefore needs support in Hammersmith & Fulham – something the Administration’s crime-reduction strategy does more comprehensively than ever before.

The Council is deeply concerned by the recent attack on a man in Bishop's Park, Fulham and expresses its sympathy to the victim and his family. It notes that H&F council have reacted swiftly and in a targeted way working closely with the police drawing on our excellent CCTV system and Law Enforcement officers.  It notes that the Law Enforcement Team has increased patrols in the park and resolves to maintain this with the support of the police. 

The Council recognises that the Conservative Government has cut policing, broken the criminal justice system and overseen huge increases in dangerous crimes across the UK.

It also notes that in H&F violent crime is down and recognises how the Council’s investment is tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime – and that this plays a crucial role in contributing to these decreases.

The Council regrets the attack on crime-fighting by Conservative councillors and thanks H&F’s Law Enforcement Team, the Gangs Unit, the Met and all the other teams who fight to cut crime in the borough day-in, day out.”

Speeches on the amendment were made by Councillors Rebecca Harvey, Nikos Souslous, Liz Collins, Adam Peter Lang, Mercy Umeh, Ben Coleman, and Stephen Cowan (for the Administration) and Councillors Andrew Dinsmore and Adrian Pascu-Tulbure (for the Opposition).

The amendment was then put to the vote:

FOR                        28

AGAINST                9

NOT VOTING         1

The amendment was declared CARRIED.

Councillor Andrew Dinsmore made a speech winding up the debate before the amended motion was put to the vote:

FOR                        28

AGAINST                9

NOT VOTING         1

The amended motion was declared CARRIED.

8.55pm - RESOLVED

This Council deeply regrets that Conservative opposition councillors are soft on crime.

The Council notes how the opposition group opposed the creation of the H&F Law Enforcement Team, campaigned to abolish it during the local elections and continues to demand that funding for the Law Enforcement Team is cut, which would be devastating to the safety of local people.

The Council notes that despite crime-fighting being the responsibility of national and regional governments, H&F’s Labour administration has stepped in to provide the biggest investment in fighting crime of any comparative council in the UK and the largest investment in this Borough’s history. The administration’s comprehensive approach includes the following:

• H&F has deployed Britain’s most comprehensive CCTV network;
• H&F is investing an extra £5.5 million on CCTV to improve and grow the borough’s 24/7 network of CCTV cameras over the next five years;
• H&F created the country’s largest Law Enforcement Team, with 72 Law Enforcement Team officers solely dedicated to making Hammersmith & Fulham’s streets safer;
• H&F pioneered a specialised Gangs Unit dedicated to safeguarding children and young people;
• H&F has deployed dedicated protection officers to support women and girls; and
• H&F works closely with the Met to coordinate crime-fighting actions.

The Council recognises that after 13 years of bad Conservative government, crime is out of control in many parts of England. It notes that this places huge pressure on the Met in London. It recognises that Hammersmith & Fulham’s allotted Met police officers continue to be diverted outside of the Borough to other tasks such as protecting public buildings, policing protests, policing football matches and police other public order tasks outside of Hammersmith & Fulham. The Met therefore needs support in Hammersmith & Fulham – something the Administration’s crime-reduction strategy does more comprehensively than ever before.

The Council is deeply concerned by the recent attack on a man in Bishop's Park, Fulham and expresses its sympathy to the victim and his family. It notes that H&F council have reacted swiftly and in a targeted way working closely with the police drawing on our excellent CCTV system and Law Enforcement officers.  It notes that the Law Enforcement Team has increased patrols in the park and resolves to maintain this with the support of the police. 

The Council recognises that the Conservative Government has cut policing, broken the criminal justice system and overseen huge increases in dangerous crimes across the UK.

It also notes that in H&F violent crime is down and recognises how the Council’s investment is tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime – and that this plays a crucial role in contributing to these decreases.

The Council regrets the attack on crime-fighting by Conservative councillors and thanks H&F’s Law Enforcement Team, the Gangs Unit, the Met and all the other teams who fight to cut crime in the borough day-in, day out.