Chief Superintendent Charles Griggs

A TOP policeman has defended his decision to set police teams a goal of arresting five people a month.

At a meeting of the Bromley Community Engagement Forum, which allows the public to question and hold the authorities to account on safety issues, police were asked about arrest quotas.

Bromley police borough commander Chief Superintendent Charles Griggs confirmed he has asked police officers in safer neighbourhood teams to arrest at least five people a month between them This target was put in place in August.

Mr Griggs said: "Our safer neighbourhood teams simply don't arrest enough people."

He told people at the meeting at Hayes School, in West Common Road, on September 22 the teams had been doing an excellent job of engaging with the communities they work in but officers needed to use their powers to tackle crime.

Mr Griggs added: "They have been doing a lot of good police work but I want them to use their powers of stop and search and their powers of arrest."

Each of the 22 wards in Bromley has a safer neighbourhood team which consists of a sergeant, two PCs and four or five PCSOs.

The PCSOs do not have the power of arrest but the police officers do, and it is them Mr Griggs wants to meet the targets.

He said: "I have got to say five a month is a piece of cake."

Bromley Council portfolio holder for public safety Councillor Colin Bloom supported Mr Griggs.

He said "I don't think there is a ward in the borough where five arrests is too low."

Speaking in response to the meeting, Chief Inspector Ian Gallehawk, head of Bromley safer neighbourhood policing, said: "It is about detecting crime and bringing people to justice.

"It isn't about mindlessly going about arresting people.

"Some months teams might not arrest five but I would be happy if I saw them detecting crime in other ways."

11:01am Thursday 2nd October 2008

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