Ealing Conservatives this week highlighted Metropolitan Police figures which reveal that 10 out of Ealing’s 23 wards still do not have the promised compliment of 4 Police and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) as provided for in the Safer Neighbourhoods scheme.

The distribution of police is very uneven with South Acton enjoying 11 officers, while neighbouring Ealing Common has just one. Three of the six wards with the recommended 6 officers are in Southall.

Conservative Spokesman on Community Safety, Cllr Sue Emment said residents had paid for “safer neighbourhoods” teams through the GLA precept on Council tax and said it was unacceptable that so many wards still had incomplete teams in place. She said:

“The latest Council tax leaflet says that each ward will have at least four officers in place by April. We are more than half way through March and ten wards have three officers or less. I am also concerned at the uneven distribution of officers through the borough. Hanwell, Ealing and Greenford are very short staffed, whilst parts of the borough already have their full share of officers.”

We have contacted Ealing Police for a comment on these figures and are awaiting a reply

March 22, 2006