Member of Parliament for Beckenham & West Wickham, Bob Stewart, has joined local Councillors in petitioning the Deputy Mayor of London (Police & Crime) to fund a new Police vehicle for the Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) in the Wards of Hayes & Coney and West Wickham Wards to use jointly.
The SNTs have been working from Bromley Police Station since January 2022 after the Labour Mayor of London closed the Police base in West Wickham which was used by both sets of SNTs. This means that more Police time is being spent traveling to and from the Wards. Bob and the Councillors argue that a marked minibus would allow the SNTs to have a mobile base in the community and not be dependent on public transport.
Bromley Police currently has some vehicles which are assigned to certain SNTs as a priority but which can be used by other teams. Hayes & Coney and West Wickham SNTs currently do not have a vehicle assigned to them. The petition calls for a minibus to be added to the Bromley fleet and assigned to these two Wards, especially as the Wards included more rural areas such as Keston Village which has a limited bus service.
Launching the petition, Bob Stewart said:
“Across the Beckenham Constituency, we have a number of superb Safer Neighbourhood Teams who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe. Along with the local Councillors, we want to ensure the Police have the proper resources and equipment to do their jobs and provide a visible presence in the community. That’s why I am calling for an additional Police minibus to support our hard working officers.”
Alexa Michael, a Councillor for Hayes & Coney Hall Ward, which covers Keston Village said:
“Keston has a limited bus service and is a distinct village. It is not a place whereby the team can work from a Police base in Bromley. My ward colleagues and I are very grateful to Bob Stewart for his help and support on this campaign. A new vehicle for the team would really help them continue to work more effectively across the local area.”
