A senior Met Police figure visited Harrow this week ahead of new locally-focused officers being rolled out across the borough. 

Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Sophie Linden joined the mayor of Harrow, the leader of Harrow Council, and borough officers in a walkabout of Wealdstone centre, discussing the issues faced by bobbies on the beat. 

A second Dedicated Ward Officer (DWO) will be installed in every ward in every London borough by the end of 2017, with Wealdstone's bobby – PC Dipesh Raithatha – set to be installed by the end of this year.

Each of Harrow’s 21 wards will receive an additional DWO over 16 months. These are not new officers – rather they are existing officers redeployed from other Safer Neighbourhood Team roles to become ring-fenced, dedicated ward officers. 

Ms Linden visited the Asda and Iceland supermarkets with local officers to hear how they work with staff on crime prevention. She also spoke with the Ignite trust – a charity which works with the police to tackle gang crime. 

Announcing the rollout of DWOs in July, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “As Mayor, the safety and security of all Londoners is my first priority, and this starts with real neighbourhood policing. 

“I am very pleased to be able to announce the first significant step towards this, with a second dedicated PC in every London ward.

“Our local officers should be known both to the community and by the community. Their local knowledge helps to prevent and detect crime, and they are the local eyes and ears of our security services.

“They are essential to improving trust and confidence in our police, and keeping our communities safe.”