11 August 2011

Will Tory Cllr Joe Carlebach speak out against Hammersmith police cuts?

Councillor Joe Carlebach is not a head-banging ideologist or a mewling infant like some Hammersmith and Fulham Tory councillors. He has written to the Evening Standard, rightly asking that the bravery of rank and file police officers not be forgotten (see here).

Yet less than six months ago, in the teeth of Labour opposition, Cllr Carlebach and his Conservative colleagues voted to cut spending on preventing crime and anti-social behaviour in H&F by £2.2m.

As a result, on-street enforcement, out-of-hours services, police working hours and Safer Neighbourhood Police Teams are all being reduced (details here).

If even Boris Johnson, until today a leading slasher, can do a U-turn on police cuts in London, surely Hammersmith council can do so, too? Let's hope Joe will see sense and help his colleagues to do the same.

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