Newham Police chief superintendent Rob Jones hard at work. Pic by Luke Jacobs
Newham police will be ‘careful’ with stop and search powers
Luke Jacobs
Thursday, August 2, 2012
7:00 AM
Newham’s police chief says people have nothing to fear from stop and search but admits groups of more than three will be approached during the Olympics.
Officers from across the country have been drafted in by the Metropolitan Police to support the Newham team.
Chief Supt Robert Jones said his officers would be “careful” about how they used their powers in the Stratford dispersal zone.
He said: “Sometimes people will be stopped and searched when they have done anything wrong, but they do have rights.
“Really, I’d expect officers to engage with groups who are causing problems. Dispersal is one of the options that they have.
“The dispersal zone is not something we entered into lightly. It’s something that the community have asked for in response to problems with antisocial behaviour. It is not because of the Olympics.
“It’s not meant to target or criminalise anyone, it’s not meant to target young people who are out enjoying themselves and enjoying the sun.
“If there are people engaged in antisocial behaviour or taking drugs or alcohol, then we are not going to tolerate that.
“It is for those who are coming in to take advantage of the occasion.”
Officers will be mainly be visible around Stratford station, and hotspots like High Street North during the afternoon and evening.
Mr Jones said officers will also be on hand to guide and advise tourists.
The Newham team have also been tasked with familiarising their new colleagues with their new patch. Briefings will take place twice a day.
“We are going to have a lot of officers who have never worked in Newham before, and also a lot of them from other parts of the country who have never worked in London before
“So it’s really important that we give them a proper briefing and they understand (the borough) and what we need from them
“There are going to be thousands of people coming here to see the Olympics and they are going to get an impression of what the borough is like.”
Mr Jones, who started his job in the spring, also revealed 50 new officers and 14 new PSCOs recently started in Newham.
Their long-term priorities include continuing to reduce violent crime and gang related activity in the borough.
He added: “I have been made to feel really welcome.
“I think Newham has got a bit of everything both as a community and as a challenge.”
Most Read News
Newham gang operation leads to 13 arrests in dawn raids
Police burst through the doors of 13 suspected gang members today in a series of dawn raids to crack down on street violence.
Local advertisers
Other Crime & Court articles
- Manor Park landlord fined £12,000 for failing to license flats
- Newham gang operation leads to 13 arrests in dawn raids
- Custom House woman to stand trial over acid attack
- ‘Prolific offender’ of Custom House wanted by police
- Fifth suspect arrested in connection with Forest Gate killing
- Grieving family of murdered Stratford teen urge witnesses to end their heartache
- Man wanted over Newham burglaries
- Forest Gate fatal stabbing: Victim identified as 17-year-old boy from Romford
- CCTV video: Stratford teen jailed for 15 years for killing birthday gatecrasher
- Family pay tribute to East Ham man discovered dead in caravan
- Double stabbing leaves one dead in Forest Gate
- Police investigating death of East Ham man found in caravan
- Met Commissioner visits east London to strengthen ties with faith communities
- Burglar squeezed through half-opened window in Manor Park
- Distinctive red bag with silver Hindu Swastika symbol among stolen items recovered by Newham Police
- Over 11,000 dodgy cigarettes seized in Newham in one day
- Opinion: Newham police Borough Commander:“Tasers are one of the safest methods we have”
- Burglars leave Plaistow pensioner with head injuries
- Danny O’Shea: Accused denies confessing to Custom House “shanking”
- Detectives probe sex attack in East Ham park
- Woman raped five times by Stratford man she met on dating website, court hears
- Man stabbed repeatedly in Canning Town fight
- University student charged with throwing acid in shop worker’s face appears in court
- Custom House woman charged over Naomi Oni acid attack
- West Ham woman racially abused by train gang
-
Use our Wedding site to help you plan your big day! - At WeddingSite we know how much you have to organise for your wedding day, that's why we have designed a set of FREE, simple-to-use tools to make the planning process easy & hassle-free. FIND OUT MORE
-
Find a date using our online dating and friend finder - You can meet new friends, find romance or simply meet up online with people sharing similar interests and hobbies. FIND OUT MORE
-
Find a local business using our online directory search - Need a plumber? Or a florist? Or anything else? Search our business directory to find Newham businesses in just a few seconds. FIND OUT MORE
-
Family notices from the Newham Recorder, with readers' tributes - In memoriam, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, best wishes & special days. FIND OUT MORE
Celebrity / Showbiz See all
Tom Hiddleston to take lead role in Donmar Warehouse’s production of Coriolanus
Avengers Assemble actor Thom Hiddleston and Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss are to star in a West End production of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus.
- Theatre review: Hutch at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith
- Kate Winslet hosts fundraiser for homeless charity
- Move over, Leo! There’s a new Gatsby in town
- Young Sherlock Holmes author Andrew Lane to present Lost Worlds
- Film review: The Great Gatsby