Camden New Journal-news - Extra police 'on way'

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Camden New Journal - by PAUL KEILTHY
Published: 31 May 2007

Extra police ‘on way’

THE council’s community safety chief has denied that his flagship plan to crack down on crime is threatened by the inability of senior police to say when promised new officers will hit Camden High Street.
Up to now, the Lib Dem/Conservative administration has countered criticism of its year-long review of the borough’s anti-social behaviour strategy by pointing to its willingness to tackle the drugs market in Camden Town as a main priority, pledging £300,000 for new Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to provide regular patrols.
But although the money has been available since April, none of the council-funded PCSOs or the 10 PCs promised by the Met have appeared, with the original June target starting tomorrow (Friday).
At a public meeting last week, borough commander Ch Supt Mark Heath said: “We’re working very hard to recruit those individuals at the moment. They’ll trickle into us from next month onwards as they are recruited.”
Chairman of the area’s Safer Neighbourhoods Panel, Roy Walker, said: “Although we don’t have the PCs and PCSOs on duty at the moment, he (Ch Supt Heath) has put a lot of extra manpower into Camden Town, and there has been a significant improvement.”
The council’s community safety chief Cllr Ben Rawlings said: “I haven’t been informed by the police of any delay.
“If they (the PCSOs) don’t turn up then the original deal hasn’t been fulfilled – but at the moment we’re expecting the police to deliver on this part of the deal.”

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