Council officers will patrol the streets of every ward in Barnet in an attempt to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour.
A shake-up of Barnet Council’s community safety team will see the number of street-based officers rise from six to 21 and their shift patterns move from five to seven days per week.
It means uniformed officers will be able to patrol each of the borough’s wards on the look-out for offenders, as well as making it easier for residents to report incidents.
The community safety team’s objective is to tackle all forms of antisocial behaviour, burglaries, hate crimes and other criminal activity, including various types of fraud and environmental crime.
According to a council report, the shake-up of the team comes in response to a “general increase in crimes such as fly-tipping, antisocial behaviour, burglary and acts of violence, as well as hate crimes”.
The officers will work alongside residents, businesses and partners, including the Metropolitan Police and other law enforcement agencies, to carry out investigations and help with intelligence gathering.
The changes will take effect in February.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here