27 February 2004
Plans to sell off most of London's police stations and relocate officers to supermarkets and city centre kiosks, have been dismissed as 'clumsy, ham-fisted and ignorant' by the leader of the Metropolitan Police Federation.
Glen Smyth, chair of the MPF, which represents the Met's rank-and-file officers, also told Public Finance his members had not been consulted about the proposals, which were announced on February 23.
Smyth described the 'Building towards the safest city' strategy, unveiled by the Metropolitan Police Authority, as 'pure political interference', claiming that 'relocating vital and scarce station facilities would not necessarily improve policing in the capital'.
'We have concerns about this new strategy – after all, it is our members that must carry it out – and feel we've simply been ignored,' Smyth added.
Under the initiative, the MPA will sell 60% of its estate, much of which is Victorian, including stations, offices and garages. The entire estate is valued at £1.5bn, with £900m expected to be raised through sales.
The sell-off will not only raise much-needed cash, but will also reduce the force's spiralling maintenance backlog – estimated at £82m. It also spells the end of the use of the Private Finance Initiative in policing, with the Met openly acknowledging 'we have no plans to use the PFI further'.
However, a spokesman for the MPA said the strategy should be seen in the wider context of the government's Modernising the Service programme, which aims to deliver effective neighbourhood policing.
He said: 'This is not about cashing in on property. Some of the buildings pre-date 1935 and are no longer fit for the purpose. Money will now be used to focus on new buildings and new ways of policing communities.'
Moves being considered include placing police offices in shopping centres and libraries, which police chiefs believe will make the service more flexible and place officers close to crime hot spots.
But Smyth claimed it would leave groups without an effective police presence. He said: 'Why are vulnerable pensioners, many of whom don't have cars, expected to whizz down to a supermarket miles away just to speak to a policeman?'
However, Alan Croney, director of the Met's property services, said: 'Increasing officer numbers, shifting crime hot spots, changing demographic borough growth and the threat of terrorism all require radical thinking to ensure we deliver complex frontline policing with an affordable solution.'
PFfeb2004
