David visits Broadwater Farm with local Police

On Thursday, 18/02/2010, David met up with the Neighbourhood Police Team for West Green Ward for an evening walkabout on the Broadwater Farm Estate. On this walk, David was taken through Lordship Rec and into the Estate, where he visited the church on the farm - known as the "The Refuge".

The Walkabout

David heard how the Farm had become much calmer than its reputation suggests, and that the regeneration money that has improved housing and youth services has had an impact on the levels of crime in the local area. Whilst there continues to be pockets of anti-social behaviour, David is convinced that Broadwater Farm is no longer worthy of the notorious reputation that many attach to it.

David said:

"Whilst Broadwater Farm is not perfect, it does not deserve to be seen as the dangerous, divided estate it is often thought to be. Thanks to the hardwork from the West Green police team and the youth workers who engage young people in meaningful activities like I saw at the Refuge, the situation is remarkably different to what it was 10 years ago."

"There is still work to be done, so I will continue to support the effort and endeavours of the neighbourhood police and community leaders like Classford Sterling MBE to keep improving the area."

Neighbourhood Policing

Neighbourhood Police teams are a recent development in community policing, where each neighbourhood is assigned a small team of Police Officers that will come to know the area, and it's community, very well. It is designed to forge trust and respect between the people and the Police force, by equipping the police with the local knowledge required to police an area sensitively. Equally, having the same policemen operate on the same area means they come to know who the regular trouble-makers are, and are more likely to solve petty crime and anti-social behaviour.

No where is the success of the scheme more apparent than on Broadwater Farm. Almost 25 years after the riots, a similar event is unfathomable. This is testimony to the hardwork done by the local community police to establish the relationship and trust between police and neighbourhood.