STANTON MEETS WITH MET CHIEF (Southwark Liberal Democrats)

Southwark Liberal Democrats <info@southwark-libdems.org.uk>

STANTON MEETS WITH MET CHIEF

February 16, 2007 12:00 AM

The Liberal Democrat Leader of Southwark Council, Cllr Nick Stanton, has met with Sir Ian Blair, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, to discuss the current problems with gun crime in Southwark and surrounding boroughs.

Commenting on the meeting, Nick Stanton said:

"I thanked Sir Ian for arranging the meeting. The problem of gun and knife crime is clearly at the top of the Council's agenda at the moment and it appears to be at the top of the Met's as well"

"In recent days we have seen much closer co-operation between the Police, Council and community to tackle gun crime and Sir Ian has now asked me to join a special taskforce to help create a Met Police strategy."

"I pressed Sir Ian to maintain and even improve on the number of police on our streets both in the short-term to catch the perpetrators of these killings and provide reassurance and in the long-term to help cut violent crime."

"Last October I met with senior officers at Scotland Yard and they told me that Southwark could expect to see the outcome of lots of co-ordinated police work. I am disappointed that we are still seeing so much gun and knife crime and that the Camberwell and Peckham area in particular is gaining such a national reputation."