Labour’s cuts to PCSOs in Wapping

After speaking with many of you on the doorstep over the past few months, concerns over Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) have come up frequently. We looked into this further as a team, and with the help of former Lib Dem Mayoral candidate, Rob Blackie, we found that our area had the third-highest cuts to Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) out of all the wards in London.

We strongly support the work of our local police but it is no surprise that ASB has grown when facing these cuts. This is a direct result of Labour not sticking up for residents during a time of crisis in the Metropolitan Police. Fewer visible PCSOs on the streets means that intimidating groups and anyone engaging in vandalism feels unperturbed, and are not dealt with quickly. It also means eroding public trust, and fear that residents’ reports of ASB will go unnoticed. A Lib Dem freedom of information (FOI) campaign found that response times to ASB increased 37% from 2021 to 2024.

We firmly believe in making the area as safe as possible for residents and are strong advocates that no resident should feel nervous to walk through their streets. We will tackle this by lobbying for greater numbers of PCSOs, raising reports of ASB in council, and hosting surgeries with residents to make sure no report goes unheard.

We also encourage residents to use MetEngage to directly report concerns to the team.