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Parks Police Service BULLETIN

NEW SERVICE UPDATE APRIL 2013

On the 1st April 2013 The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Parks Constabulary amalgamated with The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Parks Police Service to form the first Bi-Borough Parks Police Unit. The new service will be known as the ‘Parks Police Service’ and will initially operate from the existing two bases at Holland Park and 77 Glenthorne Road, Hammersmith. Contact details are shown at the end of this Bulletin.

The service will operate 365 days a year from 0700 to midnight in summer and from 0700 to 2200 hours in winter, with an establishment of 1 Inspector, 3 Sergeants (F/T), 2 Sergeants (P/T) 24 Constables (F/T) and 3 Constables (P/T). Officers are sworn in as Constables under the provisions of Article 18 of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Provisional Order Confirmation (Greater London Parks and Open Spaces) Act 1967.

“A local authority may procure officers appointed by them for securing the observance of the provisions of all enactments relating to open spaces under their control or management and of the byelaws and regulations made there-under to be sworn as constables for that purpose”

Over ninety parks across both Boroughs are patrolled by the Service, including Wormwood Scrubs, Holland Park, Ravenscourt Park and Bishops Park. The service also locks a number of parks at nightfall including all the (lockable) major parks. A number of the smaller parks are no longer locked at night.

Parks Police duties include:

Reporting crime within the parks

Detaining offenders

Enforcing byelaws and the borough dog control orders

Security at park events

Dog chipping, dog shows and cycle marking

Attending park user group meetings Locking certain parks Lost property in parks

Officers are equipped with UHF portable radios, with GPS tracking facility and an interactive mapping system is located in the CCTV Control Room at Hammersmith Town Hall. Body-worn video cameras are also carried by most foot and cycle patrols and are used for evidence gathering, especially for dog fouling and litter offences. Officers can issue Fixed Penalty Notices for enviro-crime offences. A large number of patrols are carried out on bicycles and a new fleet of low emission vehicles will be coming into use during the summer. A number of the vehicles carry defibrillators and all officers are first aid trained.

The service is not an ‘emergency service’ so cannot attend calls using blue lights, but officers will endeavour to attend calls in the parks as soon as they can, providing they can get there safely. In an emergency, park users should always dial 999 first.

A problem solving approach is used to deal with recurring problems and the service works closely with the Metropolitan Police, The Community Safety Team and a wide range of public and voluntary sector organisations to fulfil their purpose of “ensuring our parks and open spaces remain safe and welcoming places for all”.

The new badge for the service, which will be rolled out on new uniform and vehicles over the next few months features a red gryphon (a symbol of guardianship and alertness) from the arms of Hammersmith & Fulham, emerging from an ancient crown found on the shield of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. The gryphon is grasping the leaf of the London Plane Tree, symbolic of our parks and gardens.

Once uniforms and vehicles arrive we will have a ‘public launch’ of the new service, but thought it prudent to start with a ‘soft launch’ in order that we can familiarise all officers with the parks on the ‘opposite’ borough and experience our teething problems behind park hedges!

A joint database came into operation on 1st April and all incidents, offences and parks visits are recorded and are fully searchable. This will build into a useful resource and together with the radio tracking system makes the service one of the most accountable in local government. It is hoped we can re-establish a regular monthly intelligence bulletin to share with our partners and relevant elected members shortly.

USEFUL NUMBERS

Holland Park Base 020 7938 8190 Glenthorne Road Base 020 8753 5999

Mobile Patrols: 079 7312 4066 079 7052 7568

email: [email protected] [email protected]

Landlines are transferred to mobiles when office unstaffed

IN AN EMERGENCY DIAL 999

For further details contact Inspector Mike Rumble On 0207 938 8187 or visit: www.rbkc.gov.uk or www.lbhf.gov.uk and follow the links to parks police