THE need for more police community support officers (PCSOs) on the streets of Wanstead and Woodford has been raised by MP Linda Perham.

The Ilford North MP aired her concerns with Redbridge borough commander Ch Supt John Boylin at a meeting at Ilford police station recently.

While she welcomed the increasing numbers of such officers in Redbridge as a whole, she stressed that more support officers should be deployed in the borough's outer areas, such as Hainault and Woodford.

Mr Boylin told Mrs Perham that he was particularly interested in focusing on a local approach to policing in the borough, including giving consideration to reopening police stations.

Mrs Perham said: "I am very pleased that our new police chief is committed to reassuring Redbridge residents that in future there will be a more local police presence.

"I urge the police and the council to provide more PCSOs to improve police visibility and to tackle fear of crime."

The Ilford North MP also raised the problem of police response to reported crime, especially from local businesses, but Mr Boylin said there had been a 90 per cent response within 12 minutes over the previous weekend.

They also discussed representations she had received from retailers about displays outside shops and the presence of stalls promoting religious groups in the town centre.