184 replies to this topic

[stamp monkey]

So, any news on what has happened to the service that the public are now recieving in place of a dedicated team of specialists?

Moreover, what has happened to our colleagues from Wandsworth Parks

Really!! Nobody knows nuffink...Innit?!?! Seriously, where are they now??

[nsolo]

Very sad they have gone in the form they are the Met will not polcie it and innocent people will get attacked mugged etc in Battersea park ... Wandsworth Council will regret it and I feel sorry for all the Officers who have lost the job income etc.

Wandsworth Council should be ashamed of themselves as I bet the 5 that remain will have to patrol and it will end up costing double it would of prior to disbandment

[modplod06]

Very sad they have gone in the form they are the Met will not polcie it and innocent people will get attacked mugged etc in Battersea park ... Wandsworth Council will regret it and I feel sorry for all the Officers who have lost the job income etc.

Wandsworth Council should be ashamed of themselves as I bet the 5 that remain will have to patrol and it will end up costing double it would of prior to disbandment

Well put mate.

[nsolo]

Cheers mate,

Redbridge and Wandsworth will both see the fall out now the mayor should of just made all parks police LONDON Parks Police and made them accountable to the IPCC and given all of the same powers and uniformed the bye laws ... creating a central control so if a person gets done for littering then it is flagged up like the PNC etc. would of been cheaper in long run as all the control centres would of shut from Wandsworth, redbridge K&C H&F and gone into one saving on 4 offices less staff needed who could of been deployed as new PP etc.

cheaper budge for uniform as it would of all been marked up the same

[boroughtrainer]

Well the 4 MET coppers I saw in the park on Monday afternoon (the official takeover day) must've been a figment of my imagination. They also confirmed unless it is happening in the surrounding roads and it is of 'life and limb' importance they have been directed not to respond.

As for robbery going up, maybe the reporting will be more realistic.

[MerseyLLB]

Well the 4 MET coppers I saw in the park on Monday afternoon (the official takeover day) must've been a figment of my imagination. They also confirmed unless it is happening in the surrounding roads and it is of 'life and limb' importance they have been directed not to respond.

As for robbery going up, maybe the reporting will be more realistic.

I will await feedback from locals etc before judging the handover but...

To be fair, on the 'official take over day' you are going to see the new team, aren't you?!?

Much the same as when my old neighbourhood beat changed to additionally cover a fairly busy station, I spent the majority of my time for a few weeks there to show a presence.

[Gallifrey]

Well the 4 MET coppers I saw in the park on Monday afternoon (the official takeover day) must've been a figment of my imagination. They also confirmed unless it is happening in the surrounding roads and it is of 'life and limb' importance they have been directed not to respond.

As for robbery going up, maybe the reporting will be more realistic.

I'm sure the Met will do a fantastic job just as they have with the Royal Parks and won't let an obssession with detections cause them to leave/ not patrol the parks area

Edited by Gallifrey, 05 April 2012 - 08:48 PM.

[nsolo]

all good just in battersea park what about all the commons wandsworth tooting etc ... it is purely the begining for the Met give it weeks you wont see them about in the parks ... I bet the remaining WPP who are left will have to pick up the pieces

[parks plod]

At the end of the day people have lost their jobs!! I'm sick of reading negative comments on here about parks officers. You only have to look at Finsbury Park to see that the BOGOF doesn't work it is now a "No go" area since they bisbanded the parks constabulary. I am a Wandsworth resident and I can guarantee that there will be no police presence in most of the parks that the parks police used to cover. Watch this space!!

[nsolo]

At the end of the day people have lost their jobs!! I'm sick of reading negative comments on here about parks officers. You only have to look at Finsbury Park to see that the BOGOF doesn't work it is now a "No go" area since they bisbanded the parks constabulary. I am a Wandsworth resident and I can guarantee that there will be no police presence in most of the parks that the parks police used to cover. Watch this space!!

you are 100% correct the MET will do it for now as it is new, give it a few months crime will rise residents will not be able to go in the parks and open spaced etc Wandsworth council will have to get more Officers again.

then it will cost tehm double there is no savings being made but what do you expect with Boris and a Conservative government

[Police Constable 1]

you are 100% correct the MET will do it for now as it is new, give it a few months crime will rise residents will not be able to go in the parks and open spaced etc Wandsworth council will have to get more Officers again.

then it will cost tehm double there is no savings being made but what do you expect with Boris and a Conservative government

I thought it was a Mayoral decision, I didnt know central Government were involved

[stamp monkey]

Any updates people?? How are our colleagues getting on??

[Kitman]

Sad to report that 19 were made redundant of which only two have found jobs, many of the others are applying for job after job without success! All in all a very horrible situation for them and their families!!

[modplod06]

Sad to report that 19 were made redundant of which only two have found jobs, many of the others are applying for job after job without success! All in all a very horrible situation for them and their families!!

Feel so sorry for you and your colleagues and outraged at the way you have all been treated. I know how you must feel as my station is due to close soon albeit I would hope to still have a job at the end. Wishing everyone all the best for the future.

[stamp monkey]

Sad to report that 19 were made redundant of which only two have found jobs, many of the others are applying for job after job without success! All in all a very horrible situation for them and their families!!

I am disgusted by the behaviour of the Local Authorities involved. Such short sighted-ness is typical of the mis-management of our public services and the complete derision and contempt, with which these faceless bureaucrats hold those hard working public servants. Angry doesn't even come close..

[Wing3q]

I have to agree the hard work and efforts made by the Officers not only from Wandsworth Parks Police but the other Parks forces in London seem to go unoticed and some are quick to "slag" them off but let us not forget these are the people who have kept the parks safe and stopped them for becoming no go areas. Good luck to the guys at Wandsworth in securing employment.

[DGP]

Wandsworth is unique in that 1/3 of the borough is covered in open space. The MET are not obliged to patrol the parks, as it is council owned property and it is the responsibility of the council to ensure security. Not many London boroughs have such a responsibility.

I am sometimes cynical and it does seem interesting that the Wandsworth Parks Police were never disbanded. Rather, it was reduced in size and a different model was adopted. I suspect many officers were slightly older (not all of them, of course) and, unlike officers from 'Home Office' forces, the officers were not subject to a retirement age, as age discrimination laws have kicked in.

In essence, this may have given the council the opportunity to keep the constabulary, whilst clearing out the staff, saving money for a few years and then moving forward with a new model when the Boris BOGOF deal ends.

It's quiet possible that the constabulary will re-emerge and expand in a few years when austerity ends?

[nsolo]

Yes the met are obliged to patrol the parks as the borough is paying for it ... the whole of freaking wandsworth borough is council property the police patrol they are a public service not a FORCE ... they serve the public ... the council ended there obligation when they did the bogof offer from Boris Adolf johnson .... I would be intreged to see how the met are performing now from residents ... complete and utter shambles from start to finish ...

[DGP]

To what's happening in Wandsworth now?

Are there 5 full time officers left?

Do they patrol with the MET or still inner own vehicles?

How is it working out?

[jackelcrack]

Wandsworth are now called Wandsworth Events police, there are 5 full time officers left 1 chief, 1 Sergeant and 3 PC'S, they cover all types of events in parks, they don't patrol with the Met as they have full power of Parks Policing! unsure of vehicles as the ones they had, had Parks Police on them.

[DGP]

"Wandsworth Events Police"?

So, they don't patrol the parks? Just police the 'events'? And they still retain a 'Chief'? I made a cynical comment earlier that I think it was just an exercise to clear out many of the Officers who were getting older, as a means to by-pass age discrimination legislation. They are still retaining infrastructure and expertise so the force could be reconstituted very easily.

I put a tenner on it that in 2-3 years time when austerity ends that the force will be increased in capacity and take back on it's role after a short respite.

[modplod06]

I hope your right and that it will increase in the future after all these short sighted cuts. Hope all the officer from all the park forces found jobs and wish them all the best for the future.

[jackelcrack]

I used to be a Wandswoth Parks polic Officer, one of the best jobs I have had. I'M still in the service as a special constable with TVP. However the days as a Parks Police Officer will be in my memory for ever!

[Corbs]

I've seen the parkspol C-Max out in wandsworth crewed by MPS officers only from what I could see, it was still in parkspol markings, on what looked like an ANPR op.

I presume events police will do things in battersea park like flower show parking, art fairs, beer festivals etc, so the council can bill the events rather than lose out to the met on the money!

[Dizzydee]

Do they still have any powers and are they allowed to use the blues?