Funding for schemes that support community policing is still available despite the disbanding of a 30-year-old Harrow police watchdog, the Mayor of London has insisted.
The Harrow Police Community Consultative Group (HPCCG), which has been scrutinising the work of officers for nearly three decades, announced it had lost its funding from the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) at a meeting on Monday night.
The MPA said that funding forms had not been filled in correctly, but chairwoman Sonoo Malkani, who stepped down after 10 years in the role, accused politicians of using the group as a “political football”.
Over the past two years, the MPA – which has now been replaced by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC) and is controlled directly by Mayor of London Boris Johnson – has given the group £100,000.
In a statement, the MOPC said: “The MOPC recognises that effective engagement with the public is key to improving trust and confidence in the police service, and is reviewing best practice in terms of local arrangements.
“Funding to support the development and delivery of local community and police engagement remains available – however groups are required to submit a written funding application, including an engagement programme.”
