Published: 16 February 2012
BY GEORGIA GRAHAM

SUPPORT officers are being taken away from the area where Camden’s borough commander says police are most needed.

A Met Police restructuring means ranks will be reduced in Camden Town, bringing its Safer Neighbourhoods team to the same level as lower crime areas such as Hampstead and Frognal.

Borough Commander John Sutherland said in December: “If I could choose one place in the borough where I would put more police officers on the beat then it would be Camden Town.”

He was speaking as Camden Council agreed to spend £400,000 on 16 new police officers.

The cuts to Safer Neighbourhoods teams, bringing larger teams down to a standard three PCSOs, three PCs and a sergeant, are a response to the “current financial climate”.

Labour finance chief Councillor Theo Blackwell said: “There are a number of places that simply need a higher police presence to recognise their greater need.

Otherwise you will have a situation where Camden would have the same number of police officers as Hampstead or Frognal, which is just silly.”

Camden Superintendent Raj Kohli said: “Like all other public sector agencies and the public in general the Metropolitan Police Service has had to make some cost savings.

Unfortunately, but understandably, enhanced teams had to be scaled back to normal teams as a contribution to the cost saving.”

Simon Pitkeathley, of Camden Town Unlimited, which represents business, said firms were “extremely disappointed” by the decision to remove the PCSOs “without warning or consultation”.

• Kilburn is another loser in the cutbacks, with the area forced to share a sergeant between different teams.

A police spokeswoman said: “This will not reduce the number of officers in the area.”