Volunteers are champions not vigilantes (From Harrow Times)

Volunteers are champions not vigilantes

12:51pm Tuesday 9th February 2010 in

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"You're volunteers, not vigilantes!"

The Cumberland Hotel in Harrow isn't normally the place you'd heard a phrase like that, but those were the words I used in talking to the first batch of recruits for the Neighbourhood Champions scheme.

This scheme - which we are running in partnership with Harrow Council - has already got off to a flying start with more than 350 people applying.

We've held the first training sessions at the Cumberland, and I've been really enthused by the calibre of apprentice champions.

They come from all walks of life - from a middle aged mum in Pinner to a 96-year-old gent who fought against Rommel in the Western desert!

I'm convinced the Champions are going to be incredibly helpful in their key role of alerting us to low-level nuisance like graffiti, flytipping and anti social behaviour.

The Champions aren't there to be vigilantes - ignore any lurid headlines you might see! - they are there to return a sense of community to our streets.

There is a major launch for the scheme next month in the Council chamber, and I'll tell you more about that soon.

This has been a particularly busy week for me as the overnight on-call senior officer for the whole of London, responsible for any serious incidents.

In a capital city of eight million people, all human life flows through the incident log.

But one of the most personally moving incidents for me was to receive a phone call about a road accident involving a Harrow Police Officer.

On his way to a night shift, the officer was in collision with a lorry and was taken to Northwick Park Hospital.

For me, that meant an immediate trip to the accident and emergency ward.

To my great relief, my officer was not seriously injured and is now making good progress at home.

But what struck me was how his force colleagues had already worked out a rota to visit him in hospital and help at home (the officer's wife is away working abroad).

It's on occasion like this the force can feel like a family, and it reminds me of how proud I am to be Borough Commander in Harrow.

Young people often find themselves in the spotlight for crime in London.

But I attended a session of the UK Youth Parliament on crime, held at City Hall, which proved a challenge to those unfair preconceptions.

Articulate and passionate young people - Harrow teenagers among them - voiced their concerns on how to reduce crime and work with the police.

When the next session of the UK Youth Parliament is held at Parliament itself, I hope those voices are heard in the corridors of power.