Angela Fonso from Southall Residents’ Alliance writes about the group’s recent community meeting which was attended by local Southall police.
“Residents who are concerned about a recent spate of street robberies, stabbings, drug dealing and anti-social behaviour in Southall, held a community led meeting on crime at Southall Spiritualist Church last Wednesday (13 November 2024).
“The meeting was attended by the Met’s Inspector Leigh Ballard and two PCs who cover Southall. There was a full and frank discussion on residents’ experiences of crime, what would make them feel safer and the types of communication they would like from the police.
“Inspector Ballard shared that a challenging part of the police’s work is engaging with rough sleepers and substance abusers, working with agencies to support vulnerable individuals.
“There was overwhelming support for more police on the streets, CCTV in crime hotspots, reopening the front desk at Southall Police Station and better communication from the police when crimes were reported.
“Inspector Ballard informed residents about various initiatives to tackle crime and StreetSafe which allows residents to report concerns anonymously. In the pipeline for the social media platform Nextdoor Neighbours, is Vinny’s Top Tips for crime prevention. Although this is welcome, residents also want paper leaflets displayed in libraries, children’s centres and temples.
“Overall the feedback on the meeting from both the police and residents was very positive and the plan moving forward is to hold another public meeting in March 2025 and residents hope that local councillors and Ealing Council’s Safer Communities Team will attend.”
