Julia Lopez MP has written to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, to highlight outstanding actions from local officers in the Clear, Hold, Build project in Harold Hill to tackle shoplifting and organised crime around Farnham Road alongside their response to the murder of Bernard Fowler in Harold Wood. Mrs Lopez also sought the Commissioner's advice on suggestions from retailers on how to increase reporting of shoplifting offences and an update on the future of Hornchurch Police Station, as part of her long running campaign to save it. 

You can read the full content of her submission to the Met Commissioner below:

Dear Sir Mark,

I wanted to write to you about three local policing issues on which I should appreciate your advice. 

Clear, Hold, Build

First, you may be aware that exceptional work is currently being undertaken by the East Area BCU in connection to our Clear, Hold, Build pilot in Harold Hill, launched in December. Unlike other pilots across the UK, where CHB projects have focused on more serious organised crime, this pilot is concentrated around an area of shops in Harold Hill where shoplifting, antisocial behaviour and other associated offending has been high for a long time and led to a sense of helplessness among the community. 

Locally, our operation is being led by an excellent officer, Inspector Charlie Routley, who has the full support of the shopkeepers' association. Since the project launched, Inspector Routley advises that there has been a 50% reduction in offences following targeted drug busts, the issuing of closure orders and a focus on the most prolific shoplifters in the area, with one receiving a custodial sentence and another a Community Behaviour Order. This is a sizeable impact and one that is being felt by the community. I am incredibly grateful for the efforts of Inspector Routley and his team and will continue to support this project however I can.

In this spirit I recently hosted a joint meeting with Inspector Routley and Acting Chief Inspector Love, bringing corporate representatives of the five major retailers in Harold Hill (Iceland, Superdrug, Sainsbury's, Boots and Co-Op) to meet us with local traders and community leaders. The meeting took place last week and a number of actions were agreed to including the exploration of a Business Crime Reduction Partnership.

Representatives of both the Co-Op and Sainsbury’s highlighted that reporting of shoplifting offences could be increased by an extension of the deadline for providing CCTV evidence and supplementary evidence within Op Retail. Presently statements and CCTV must be provided within 14 days of the original report, or the case will be closed for no further action. Retailers said that this can be challenging to comply with, especially in cases where stores systems are not fully digitised and where there are staff absences. They therefore suggested that this should be raised to 28 days and I understand that Inspector Routley has raised this point with the Continuous Policing Improvement Team. Given that this is an area on which Government and forces across the country have recently focused in the Retail Crime Action Plan, I would be grateful for your thoughts on whether the deadline ought to be extended.

Bernard Fowler 

Second, you will no doubt be aware of the appalling, unprovoked attack on my elderly constituent, Bernard Fowler, in the early hours of 27 February at Harold Wood Station, which led to his death. This was a deeply distressing murder, which has shocked the community given the level of violence meted out on a defenceless older gentleman. While the investigation into Mr Fowler’s murder is being led by the British Transport Police, I have been in close communication with Superintendent Simon Hutchison who told me of the professionalism and bravery shown by local officers when responding to this call. He kindly provided me a list of their names (set out below) so that I could write to each to thank them for their outstanding courage and service. I wanted to highlight their work to you directly and ask whether there is a formal process through which they could receive a commendation from the Met so that their service can be properly recognised.

Hornchurch Police Station

Finally, you will recall that we met at New Scotland Yard just before my maternity leave to discuss a number of issues including my local petition to keep Hornchurch Police Station in the Met's ownership. You had anticipated being able to provide me an answer on the station's future in summer 2023 but we have still not received any clarity. In the meantime, Havering continues to suffer regular abstractions that are depleting our neighbourhood policing teams, while the borough is considered to be under resourced by local officers considering the changing crime profile. 

Given your personal commitment to improving neighbourhood policing, I would appreciate an urgent update on Havering's policing estate and officer numbers in order to increase community confidence in the Met. I would also like to know whether a counter might be opened in the Upminster/Cranham area - something I am told is a possibility as part of your internal estates review. 

With best wishes,

Julia

JULIA LOPEZ MP

Hornchurch & Upminster

Hornchurch | Harold Hill | Cranham | Upminster | Harold Wood | Emerson Park | North Ockendon | Noak Hill | Elm Park

Westminster - House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA 
Constituency - The Coach House, 133 Hall Lane, Upminster, RM14 1AL
Telephone - 0207 219 2631 or 01708 226126Website - www.julialopez.co.uk
Twitter - @julialopez.mp