The new officers with local councillors (credit: Havering Council)
The Havering Joint Task Force, as they are called, started in early January and are based at Hornchurch Police station.
They are being funded by the local council and have been ring-fenced to operate in the borough.
That means they cannot be pulled to cover duties such as policing football matches or local events and will aim to ensure “a consistent presence on the streets ” to tackle crime and disorder.
They may, however, be used by the Metropolitan Police on high demand days for public order issues or in cases of emergency.
Leader of Havering Council, Councillor Damian White, said: “These are Havering police officers, paid by Havering, for Havering. Their work, as part of our new enforcement and safety team, will allow us to prioritise and allocate resources to tackle the issues that need an immediate response and clamp down on crime in our community.
“Whether it is the threat of violent crime, or the concern of antisocial behaviour, we are listening to residents’ concerns. Our commitment to put extra police officers on our streets, as well as our close working relationship with the Metropolitan Police, is crucial in making Havering an even safer place to live.”
A New Year and a New Team! #HaveringPoliceTeam has been formed in partnership with @LBofHavering. On day 1 we arrested 2 males wanted for burglaries and other offences. Both males have been charged & remanded to court! #JointTaskForce @HaveringDaily @RomfordRecorder 422EA
— Havering MPS (@MPSHavering) January 8, 2020
The new officers have already made 11 arrests, including suspected drug dealers and burglars.
Havering Council is investing around £300,000 of taxpayers’ money into the scheme each year until the end of 2022.
It is being done as part of a Metropolitan Police project called Partnership Plus, which allows local authorities to pay for extra officers.
Tags: Havering, Hornchurch
