To be fair to the local cops. At recent local community meetings where borough top cop has turned up the issue of policing has been discussed. I have said with the way things are going the cops might find themselves involved in more political disputes. ie the Carnegie library occupation. I dont feel the the local commander really wants to get his cops involved when our wonderful New Labour Council decides to antagonise the local community. As in this case. I can imagine he is really pissed off this inept stunt of cracking down on alleged street trading outside Iceland ( like does it bother me? No. Was masses of the public complaining about them? ) by the Council at rush hour ended up involving his cops.
That is why Lord Scarman recommended that local police and the community should regularly meet discuss areas of conflict and potential conflict, and lo the Police/Community Consultative Group for Lambeth was created.
Naturally in the fullness of time it was considered inappropriate to have such a body (despite the idea having been taken up all over the country).
Boris's MOPAC (Mayor's office for Policing and Crime) held a big consultation drive all over London - ours was in the Fridge. And the mighty Stephen Greenhalgh (Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime) informed the assembled populace [around 500 or so people attended] that "things will be different now - better run, more efficient"
Obviously members of the Community/Police Cosnultative Group for Lambeth complained - as did Tessa Jowell MP, Kate Hoey MP and to his credit Cllr Ed Davie - who gave an impassioned speech about the evils of deaths in custody and the disastrous fate awaiting many people with serious mental health issues who find themselves in contact with the police.
There is no forum presently for discussing police/community tensions. Only Neighbourhood Policing panels - open to members of the public only by invitation, the "guest list" being operated by the Police. These panels are designed to advise the police on what crimes the invited members of the public want sorted out.
It would be perfectly possible that one of more members of the Coldharbour Ward Neighbourhood Panel suggested the Police should "sort out" the situation outside Iceland. It's the sort of petty issue they come up with. I can't say whether this happened though because I haven't been invited for a year or so. Or maybe they haven't had any Neighbourhood Panel meetings for Coldharbour Ward since a year ago.
Can anybody through some light on this?
