Council 'rents' its own police officers to curb yobs

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A deal has been agreed between Newham council and the Met to purchase the services of 10 officers for a twoyear period at an annual cost of £375,000.

The officers will be part of the council's crime and anti-social behaviour service.

They will remain under operational control of the police borough commander but what they do day-to-day will be determined by the council.

The officers will work alongside council teams such as noise control officers, environmental protection officers and parks constables.

The Police Act 1996 gives any local authority the power to make grants to a police force in return for policing services but the powers are rarely used.

Newham mayor Sir Robin Wales said: "This is a bold and exciting step for the borough. Crime and anti- social behaviour are people's top concerns and we want to tackle the widest range of problems that residents tell us they want dealt with.

"These officers will be doing the work that we want them to do but they will be doing it in the way that police officers do it. They will not be an emergency response team, they will be tasked with dealing with the problems residents have.

"With the addition of the police constables, our crime and anti-social behaviour service will be well placed to tackle those individuals whose behaviour impacts on the wider community."

Newham already helps fund 14 Met police community support officers under a similar agreement. Their role is to patrol the borough and gather intelligence. They also have delegated powers to issue fixed-penalty notices for environmental offences such as littering and dog fouling.

However, this is the first time full-time officers have been rented out in the capital. The council praised the police borough commander, Detective Chief Superintendent Nick Bracken, for agreeing to the partnership.

Mr Bracken said: "In the past Newham council has shown its commitment to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour through a range of initiatives.

"This new service will offer more protection for local people but with the proper overview of the Metropolitan Police."