A new service for vulnerable children and their families was officially launched by the Metropolitan Police commissioner on Monday.

Bernard Hogan-Howe visited the Wealdstone Centre, in High Street, Harrow, to launch the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).

The centre shares information with a range of organisations, including the police and the council, so that children and families can receive the help they need more efficiently.

Mr Hogan-Howe says the project was a “great” example of agencies working together, to give the best possible service to vulnerable people.

He said: “This is about better sharing of information and action being taken to help people. The borough of Harrow takes partnership working seriously year in and year out. They regard it as a joint mission to fight crime and keep people safe.”

In a joint statement, Dal Babu, Harrow borough commander and Catherine Doran, the corporate director of children and families at Harrow Council, also both praised the new scheme.

“We know that one of the keys to safeguarding children is to ensure early and accurate information sharing, strong risk assessment and partnership.

”We believe that MASH provides us with one of the key components to help us get better at safeguarding in Harrow.”