MORE than 5,000 people have now pledged their support to a campaign for more police officers in Waltham Forest.
The council leader Chris Robbins is spearheading a campaign, which has cross-party support, for an extra 120 officers for Waltham Forest, which has comparable levels of crime to inner city boroughs such as Hackney or Newham but fewer officers.
Cllr Robbins said: “Waltham Forest desperately needs more police to help address the disproportionate levels of serious crime we are experiencing.
“Tougher sentences are to be welcomed but we also need extra officers, that is why we are calling on Mayor of London to make up the shortage off police officers in Waltham Forest ” Cllr Robbins welcomed the news that the minimum sentence for knife murders will be increased from 15 to 25 years, but said the best way for the borough to combat knife crime is through the use of more officers.
He said: “What we need as a matter of urgency is more police on our streets so that it sends out a strong message that all violent crime is unacceptable and if you carry a knife, you are likely to be caught with it.”
Officers from the council and City Hall will be holding a series of talks about the police staffing situation in the borough, following a meeting with Cllr Robbins and Boris Johnson.
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