And so this is Christmas and what have we done?. Another year over, and a new one just begun.

Well in Brent this year your police have reduced crime by over 1,000 offences compared with April to Sept 2007, and 2007 was an improvement over the previous year. It is very easy to throw statistics around but behind these figures are real people who have not had to wake up or return home from work to the trauma of their homes broken into. There are the young people who have not been robbed of their phones after school. The simple fact is that as we approach 2009 Brent is a safer place in which to live and work.

There are challenges for the police next year. As the economy worsens and unemployment increases we must be vigilant in ensuring that this does not translate itself into a rise in crime. One of out top priorities will be to increase your confidence in the work that we do. Our survey says that you are well informed about the work of Brent police, but don’t think we do it particularly well. If anyone has any good ideas about what we could be doing better to address the confidence gap then I would be delighted to hear from you.

The other thing I would like to share with you is my favourite Christmas song and how this relates to community policing. The Little Drummer Boy had nothing when he visited the newborn baby Jesus he wasn’t able to give precious gifts as the 3 Kings had done. Even so he realised that he had something he could give, the gift of playing his drum, and this gift was as valuable as any gold. So many of you give your free time to charities, to the community, to voluntary associations like Neighbourhood Watch, and Ward Panels. Without the contribution that many of you make there would be no communities with which we could work. So, for all those little drummer boys out there I say a big thank you. For the rest I come on and pick up your drums in 2009 and do what you can to get involved.

Merry Christmas.

Neil