From our research and many conversations with our members, we know levels of crime and ASB in Kingston town centre are a key issue for businesses, which is why we are keen to maintain a strong relationship with the Police and ensure we are voicing member concerns. For our latest Member Spotlight, we’re delighted to hear from Trudy Hutchinson, your new Kingston Safer Neighbourhoods Inspector.
“I have been a police officer for 20 years, promoted to Sergeant in 2008 and have served in Kingston since 2012 in various roles such as Response Team, SNT & Operations. My husband and I have two teenage children, and we have lived in the borough for 18 years, so your passion, love & concerns for our town are the same as mine both professionally & personally.
As you may be aware, these past few months have been incredibly busy for our officers. Due to events in London (Euros and demonstrations) many of our local ward officers have been abstracted to police these which of course impacts on policing our towns and local communities. Things have started to settle down now & our SNT officers are thrilled to be back on their wards and already achieving some fantastic results.
Since Covid-19 restrictions have lifted and our businesses have reopened we have (as expected) seen an increase in crime. All policing strands across SW BCU are working hard to address these and as your SNT Inspector I want to reassure you that I will work closely with each strand to drive proactive visible policing, community/business engagement and deliver on our promises and priorities. Neighbourhood policing has great benefits, it enables us to work closely with the public, community groups, partner agencies and businesses to be able to reduce crime and solve recurring and community issues, all of which I am incredibly passionate about.
I am excited about the prospect of a dedicated Town Centre Team returning to Kingston to support your wonderful Grove Sergeant Matt Cefai and his officers. We are hopeful this will happen and I know our BCU Commander Liz Chapple is also very keen to progress this, so I will keep you posted! I’ve had a fantastic introductory meeting with Kingston First’s Chief Executive, Kirsten Henly, and I will arrange a meeting soon with businesses to personally introduce myself and your ward officers. This will give you an opportunity to discuss ideas, future plans, raise concerns and provide feedback. In the meantime please do get in touch with your SNT team if you wish to discuss any of the above.”
We love hearing from our members how things are going. If you would like to write a Member Spotlight, drop an email to joelle.fry@kingstonfirst.co.uk.
Comments are closed.