Lewisham Community Policing Consultative Group

Last night I attended the Lewisham Community Policing Consultative Group at the Town Hall in Catford. Each Borough in London has a group like this, partners involved in fighting crime come together on a panel to update and take questions and input from the community.

My job sends me to these sort of meetings regularly, but this was the first Lewisham one I’ve attended and I was really impressed with the way it was organised and managed as well as the quality of input from the community.

Lots of people asked questions, but I decided to ask a question about dangerous dogs as it was an issue raised to me by a constituent in Evelyn, which borders Southwark. I asked the panel:

“What partnership work is taking place between partners in Lewisham and bordering boroughs to address the issue of dangerous dogs.

This is a particular concern for residents on the Lewisham/Southwark border who’s children go to Rotherhithe Primary school. Parents are worried that large aggressive dogs are being tied up outside the school while parents drop their kids off to school, this is a particular concern as children enter the school via an alleyway which means hundreds of children enter through one small space”

I was very concerned that the panel could not tell me what they were doing to tackle the rise in dangerous dogs, which is a pan London problem. However they have promised to get back to me with an update.

I also met people from the Lewisham Disability Coalition http://www.ldcadvice.co.uk/ an umbrella organisation that helps other disability charities and organisations in the borough. They raised a number of issues around hate crime towards disabled people and the under reporting of this sort of crime. I’ve taken some details and hope to work more closely with this group as my campaign moves forward.

Gemma Townsend

17th March 2009