Some Met officers have never patrolled alone, chief admits

SOME POLICE NEVER PATROL ALONE, ADMITS MET CHIEF
Some police officers in Britain's largest force have never patrolled alone, Sir Paul Stephenson admitted today.

The Scotland Yard chief said walking the streets in pairs became routine over the past 20 years because no one questioned the practice.

He said a drive to get uniformed officers and community support officers out and about on their own has met some resistance.

Speaking at New Scotland Yard today, he said many officers simply prefer to have someone to chat to and it is up to managers to change the regime.

Sir Paul said: "Cops do like company, just like anybody else, and without intrusive supervision they may slip back into patrolling together.

"There is no doubt one officer will engage with the public in a different way than two officers gossiping about the latest football results.

"There are some police officers who joined the Met who have not known much else and are asking: 'What is going on here?"'

Since taking the helm at the Metropolitan Police earlier this year, Sir Paul has focused on promoting his "five Ps" among the force's 52,000 employees.

He said presence, performance, productivity, professionalism and pride form the centre of his policing philosophy.

Earlier today, Sir Paul outlined his "presence" message to several hundred senior officers gathered at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster.

During the meeting one borough commander joked an officer may only need one pair of shoes for his entire career because of the lack of patrolling.

Sir Paul has asked every one of the 32 London borough commanders to put on at least four extra patrols every day in their main town centre.

As a result, 176 extra patrols are now on the streets every day in London, some 64,240 every year, he said.

Sir Paul added: "The public have been saying for a long time 'we want to see more uniformed cops on the street'.

"The default position is single patrols and I want to increase the number of patrols per day, and we are achieving a lot more extra patrols."

Members of the Metropolitan Police Federation have said some officers are concerned whether patrolling alone could put them in danger.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Rose Fitzpatrick said risk assessments take place before officers are sent out. In some places several officers may be required.