Residents of Thamesfield, the Thames-side area of Putney, are being served by just one police officer who spends only only one or two days a week in her designated ward, a Met police ward meeting heard last night.
The stark revelation at St Mary’s Church highlighted the continuing impact of austerity-era policing reforms that replaced local police stations with regional hubs – changes widely acknowledged to have worsened crime problems across London.
PC Parry, currently the sole officer covering Thamesfield, told residents she had been redeployed elsewhere for 20 days in the past month alone. She is due to transfer to Wandsworth shortly, leaving the area potentially without dedicated police coverage.
The staffing crisis represents a dramatic decline from just a few years ago when four or five officers were assigned to the Thamesfield beat. The ward’s Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) is on maternity leave, while another officer has been moved to Wandsworth Town for at least three months to tackle rising theft.
School police programme axed
The situation has been compounded by the Met’s decision over the summer to end dedicated school police officers – a move whose impact is only now being felt as students return with new phones and equipment. The previous Thamesfield officer was among those reassigned to school duties before the programme was scrapped entirely.
Officers were relocated to schools for the first week of term to ensure safety, especially for Year 7 students, and the Notting Hill Carnival further depleted available local police.
The revelations contradict promises made under the Met’s “New Met” programme to keep officers local so they could develop knowledge of their patches and maintain a visible street presence.
PC Parry acknowledged spending just one day in her designated ward in the past week, with the remainder spent on duties elsewhere in London. Putney’s local inspector reportedly now maintains a log documenting how frequently his officers are redeployed across London to demonstrate the impact on local policing.
Private security fills the gap
The police shortage has prompted businesses and residents to hire private security firms. The business improvement distinct (BID) Positively Putney now employs private security guards, while Southfields has also turned to private protection services.
Despite the staffing challenges, PC Parry demonstrated detailed knowledge of local issues, including day drinkers near the station, the return of an occasionally aggressive homeless individual near Sainsbury’s, and crime patterns in Thamesfield – which remain relatively low compared to other parts of Wandsworth.
The current crisis stems from police restructuring implemented under David Cameron’s government, which closed local police stations in favour of centralised regional hubs. The reforms have been widely criticised in London for reducing police visibility and community connections.
Despite years of promises to reverse the damage caused by these changes, the Met continues to struggle with maintaining adequate local police presence across the capital.
