Crime and safety concerns were debated at a public consultation held by Merton Council and Police on Monday.
By Chris Mandle
Crime and safety concerns were debated at a public consultation held by Merton Council and Police on Monday.
Face the Public, an event held at Merton Civic Centre, gave residents the chance to discuss issues with Merton Police’s chief superintendent and the council’s chief executive.
It follows proposed police cuts that would see a decrease in patrols around the area and an increase in CCTV crime detecting.
Merton Council chief executive Ged Curran said: “Although Merton is one of the safest boroughs in London we still take the safety of our residents very seriously and hence events like Face the Public are important.
“By working in partnership with the police we hope we can take questions and feedback from our residents into account as we work together on their behalf.”
Many questions involved the safety in residential areas. Mother-of-three Tamara Stevenson said she felt satisfied with the response to her questions regarding additional CCTV in the town centre.
“I don’t want Merton becoming a Big Brother society,” she said. “If you ask me cameras are far too intrusive and we’ll be victims of crimes before the police can act.
“But they said CCTV won’t be used in overly-residential areas, and police will still respond to 999 calls.”
Mr Curran and Chief Superintendent Dick Wolfenden spoke to guests for two hours.
Following its success the council said they hoped to hold similar events in the future.
