A Message From South West Borough Commander
Chief Superintendent Sally Benatar talks to residents of Putney and Wandsworth
A message from South West Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Sally Benatar of the Metropolitan Police:
"We recognise that COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is of great concern to everyone throughout the country at the moment, but I just wanted to reassure you that the Metropolitan Police will continue to work around the clock to keep our communities safe and deliver a critical service of business under the current circumstances.
Although we are continuing to monitor the current situation, we are running a business as usual model responding to operational need and demand and are being as flexible as possible to achieve this.
Where possible we are also following the Public Health England advice and we are reviewing our position about not sending police representatives to meetings or panels in order to avoid gatherings where there may be an increase in the spread of the virus. We ask that you continue to contact us via email or phone. I would also advise keeping an eye on the local Twitter channels and @MetpoliceUK , alongside our regular updates on Facebook and Nextdoor.
We do think it is vital to maintain channels of communication between the police and community. We would be particularly keen to hear if you have any direct concerns about community tensions. Your Neighbourhood team can be contacted in the normal means (via telephone, email, or via the Met website: https://www.met.police.uk/ , ‘what's happening in my area', type in your postcode, and then scroll down to ‘contact my team). Alternatively you can call 101 or, in an emergency, 999 and you can also report crime and anti-social behaviour online via the website.
You may have seen the latest statement by Commissioner Cressida Dick on our social media channels that discusses how our officers will continue to deliver the policing service many of us are used to and expect. I am very proud of how our South West police officers and staff on the frontline are responding to the current situation and we will continue to do our best to serve you. Londoners have seen us respond to all kinds of major incidents in recent years and we will always be there for them.
I have no doubt that the coming weeks and months will provide many challenges for all of us, however it is more important than ever that we continue to work closely with each other and support each other during this period.
We are working closely with the respective local authorities for Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth and are keeping the situation under current review".
March 21, 2020