By Councillor Diane Neil Mills; Conservative councillor for Abbey Ward and member of Merton Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Commission

In response to Councillor Hanna’s letter, let me clarify the position of Merton’s Conservative councillors.

Conservatives locally and nationally have always recognised the importance of a strong police force, with particular emphasis on front line officers. 

Within London, therefore, we welcome Boris Johnson’s decision to increase the number of police officers on the streets by 2000.  We also welcome the commitment by Boris Johnson and Merton’s Borough Commander to retain the Safer Neighbourhood Teams, which are an important and visible part of frontline policing.

The decision taken and implemented some months ago to share Police Sergeants across some wards in Merton was done in order to improve organisational effectiveness, recognising that spans of managerial control could be increased to a level appropriate for a skilled workforce.  

Merton’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams were therefore reduced from 120 officers to 115 officers, thereby releasing funding to support additional constables on the street.

Regardless of the budget situation, optimising spans of managerial control is essential to ensure both operational and financial effectiveness. 

At the recent scrutiny meeting, Merton’s Borough Commander was quite clear in stating that the new organisational model of Safer Neighbourhood Teams, with shared Police Sergeants across some wards, has actually increased the effectiveness of the teams.

As Conservatives, we would much rather fund front line police constables than managers sitting behind desks. That’s what residents tell us they want.

As such, we welcome the Borough Commander’s commitment to spending tax payers’ money in the most effective manner so that we have more bobbies on the beat fighting crime in Merton.