Police abstractions to central London now causing huge detrimental impacts on our high streets. It’s time to leave local officers in their communities.

‘We are tired of police officers playing the now you see me now you don’t game because they are called to London for protests. Our businesses are suffering, we are facing huge financial losses because of prolific shoplifters.’

There was a time long ago when neighbourhoods and town centres all knew their local officers. High streets were regularly patrolled and the community knew the officers and who to turn to.

Now, instead what we have is every local high street screaming for police officers to patrol there daily as shoplifting has become a national disease. There isn’t one high street in Havering that isn’t is impacted severely each day by the same faces who go there for one purpose only-to steal.

Harold Hill was the first to make the headlines with thieves going in with large bags, literally walking in and walking out with their bags full, without a care in the world. Not only thieving but abusing staff, threatening staff with knives or acid, spitting at staff and swearing at them each day.

Then came Elm Park where retailers were reporting more than 10 incidents a day of large scale theft and a similar pattern of thieves walking in and helping themselves.

Last week we heard from Hornchurch and Upminster retailers who were angry at the fact that very little police patrol the area and that the thieves are now so brazen that they goad retailers by saying ‘go on then call the police-they won’t come’.

Many across London do not even know where Havering is and compared many inner London borough’s, Havering is not as crime ridden. As positive as that maybe, what it also means is that when the Met requires officers to patrol the never ending list of protests in London, ours are the officers that are abstracted amongst many others.

After months and months of abstractions-Havering is starting to show just how badly the borough has suffered due to these police shortages. Every high street is reporting a large increase in shoplifting. Businesses are closing as they have faced huge financial losses. Retailers are angry, fed up and badly let down by their police force.

Officers themselves are also unhappy at the continuation of endless calls up town when they prefer being in their borough and doing the jobs they want to do. They enjoy their community policing and spend time making positive relationships with the local community only for it to all be gone due to the now you see me and now you don’t game.

We are tired of police officers playing the now you see me now you don’t game because they are called to London for protests. Our businesses are suffering, we are facing huge financial losses because of prolific shoplifters.’

These were the words of an independent retailer at a Hornchurch and Upminster meeting last week organised by the local MP, Julia Lopez. The overwhelming feeling at the meeting was that of anger and frustration. Retailers want their officers back in the community. The local Inspector did his best to explain the endless challenges he faced and has kept his word by providing as much support as he can to the area. But for how long? It is just a question of time and as officers start the process of rebuilding links with the community they are once again whisked away for another London protest.

We need our officers here. We desperately need our high streets patrolled and our communities heard.

We have outstanding officers here across east London that do a truly amazing job on our streets. We need them here now. We need our officers to do the jobs they want to be doing for our community.

It is time these endless protests pay for their own security system and use just a bare minimum of police. Protests are costing the Met millions and ultimately it is all the communities across the capital that suffer as a result.

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