Can you tell us about your role and background?
I joined Croydon’s Safer Neighbourhood team in late 2019 and have since worked in a variety of roles, including proactive operations and response teams, tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Now, as the town centre Team Inspector, I manage three teams across the town centre, Fairfield Ward, and Broad Green Ward. My focus is coordinating proactive operations, working with key partners in a multi-agency approach, and addressing the primary crime challenges in Croydon.
What are your impressions of Croydon town centre, and why were you keen to work here?
Croydon town centre is an incredibly diverse and vibrant hub, though there are undeniable issues with knife crime, anti-social behaviour, and drug dealing. Despite these challenges, the community here is fantastic, and I wanted to be a part of making positive changes to improve safety and create a better environment for everyone.
What are the biggest challenges and priorities for Croydon town centre?
Knife crime, violence against women and girls, and shoplifting/anti-social behaviour (ASB) are the primary concerns in Croydon town centre. Our team has been focusing our operations on these key issues to create a safer space for the community.
What are the biggest challenges facing the Metropolitan Police Service in Croydon?
Resourcing is a major challenge for the MPS at the moment. While demand continues to rise, we’re working hard with the resources we have, and I’m extremely proud of my team’s dedication and efforts in these circumstances.
What are the highlights of your first six months in Croydon?
One of our key successes has been the launch of Operation Redwood, a weapons crime pilot running in Croydon and Westminster. Since July, we’ve conducted 95 stop-and-searches, made 66 arrests, and seized numerous weapons and drugs. This operation has already resulted in a 68% reduction in knife-enabled robbery and a 27% drop in overall robbery.
We’ve also implemented Live Facial Recognition (LFR) operations, which have yielded 77 arrests, and we’ve launched an initiative to combat violence against women and girls by actively engaging with local businesses.
Another successful operation has been aimed at reducing e-bike and scooter offences in the town centre. We seized 7 mopeds, issued multiple driving offence notices, and made 3 arrests in the first week alone.
Additionally, we’ve had successful crime prevention days working with Croydon BID, targeting shoplifting and anti-social behaviour through arrests and crime reports.
How do you view the business community and your partnership with Croydon BID?
Our partnership with Croydon BID is invaluable. They bring businesses together and foster a real sense of community, which helps the police engage more effectively. Together, we hold regular meetings at Centrale Shopping Centre, where we share intelligence, address ongoing issues, and update businesses on prolific offenders. These gatherings are essential for maintaining open communication and solving problems quickly.
What advice would you give to businesses in the town centre?
If there’s one thing I’d urge businesses to do, it’s to report incidents to us. Many crimes go unreported, and without that data, we can’t allocate resources effectively or target offenders. If it’s not an emergency and you prefer not to wait on 101, you can easily report crimes online through the Metropolitan Police website: https://www.met.police.uk/
