“The Most Outstanding Officers Across London”: Council Leader Keith Prince Praises Havering Joint Task Force.
Havering’s council-funded Joint Task Force has received a powerful endorsement from Council Leader Councillor Keith Prince, who described the officers as among the finest in London as he praised their work tackling crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour across the borough. The six-officer team works exclusively in Havering and has become a key part of the Council’s approach to community safety.
Havering Joint Task Force was established as a council-funded police team to work alongside the Metropolitan Police and other partners across Havering.
The team is intelligence-led and is tasked with tackling crime and anti-social behaviour hotspots across the borough.
Havering Council has previously said the team is designed to lead joint enforcement operations, target offending behaviour, support victims, reduce repeat victimisation and undertake tactical interventions to prevent and detect offences.
During The Havering Daily’s briefing on the new Havering 2040 vision, Council Leader Councillor Keith Prince paid tribute to the officers.
He described them as:
“The most outstanding officers across London.”
Keith also praised the work being carried out by the team across Havering.
The Joint Task Force currently consists of six officers, five officers and one sergeant.
The team has been operating in Havering since 2020 and has built up a substantial record of success.
At Havering’s 2025 Crime Summit, the Council reported that the Joint Task Force had made more than 1,000 arrests, with an 80 per cent positive outcome at court, according to the Council’s community safety reporting.
The team’s work covers a wide range of offences and community safety concerns.
Its original priorities included residential burglary, vehicle theft and drug supply, with tasking also responding to information from residents, businesses, councillors, housing services and neighbourhood policing teams.
The team has also been used in operations involving weapons, burglary, drugs, robbery, vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour.
In its first year, council figures showed the officers had made more than 200 arrests and recovered 89 stolen vehicles, with more than £1.8 million worth of stolen vehicles recovered.
The current administration has made tackling crime and improving safety one of its priorities.
Keith Prince has previously said that crime and shoplifting were among the issues the new administration wanted to address immediately.
That focus is now being incorporated into the wider Havering 2040 vision.
The Council wants cleaner and safer town centres, with Keith also saying the administration is working with police to tackle shoplifting.
For the Joint Task Force, that means officers continuing to operate across the borough rather than being confined to one particular town centre or neighbourhood.
Their work can include intelligence gathering, targeted operations, arrests, searches and working with other agencies to tackle problems identified within local communities.
The team has also been involved in high-profile incidents.
In August, The Havering Daily reported how Sergeant Tanner and members of the Joint Task Force responded following an alleged robbery at Boots in Hornchurch, with five suspects arrested and stolen goods recovered.
The administration says the team is an important part of its approach to public safety.
The Council has previously committed funding to the Joint Task Force under the Section 92 policing arrangement, with official council documents recording previous funding agreements for the team.
For Keith Prince, the value of the officers goes beyond the number of arrests they make.
He says having a dedicated team working solely across Havering provides an additional policing resource focused on local problems.
That approach fits into the wider Havering 2040 ambition of creating cleaner, safer and more attractive town centres and communities.
The administration says its long-term vision is about making Havering a place where people feel confident living, working and visiting.
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