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The Paddington Sector Working Group (SWG) Hyde Park representation and its results have now been respected and regarded with many police forces, law enforcement agencies, central/local Government departments and organisations wanting to share and learn from the experiences of this Paddington Hyde Park policing/community partnership. This page gives you information on recent visits to the SWG from visitors, and also a list of those we are currently working together with sharing best practice, best value. For further partnership contacts which our SWG works alongside see relevant LINKS columns on the left of this page.
Making It Happen, Making A Difference
Recently the South African Police Service's Deputy Commissioner, Glenn Schooling, came to the MET Police Service(MPS) and met with its most senior officers plus departments ranging through Counter-Terrorism expertise to the Diversity work being undertaken within the MPS.
The Deputy Commissioner then met with the Paddington Hyde Park SWG committee members to see and hear for himself the value of partnership working across diverse communities.
Knowing there are "no quick fixes" in policing/community partnership, Glenn Schooling was keen to learn on issues that have been successfully tackled jointly by the police and the SWG, and that can be transferred to his policing communities in South Africa. "It is this sharing of global community relations partnership experience" said the Deputy Commissioner "that can add to the continuing improvements in policing performance with the community it serves, whether that be Paddington or Port Elizabeth. A successful group, as is this SWG in this part of Paddington, is of great support to policing at all levels. It's of significant assistance in identifying and dealing with local crime and disorder problems. Above all, as the MET Police itself says, the SWG epitomises the notion of policing by consent".
The successful work of the Paddington Hyde Park SWG is not just recognised in the UK as adding value & best practice, but across the world by police forces keen to develop police/community partnerships in diverse multi-cultural inner cities. Lynda King Taylor and the MET police have worked with the South African Police Service (SAPS) in improving policing performance and community relations. The challenges that face police and community alike in developing an inclusion of all cultures into partnership is recognised by SAPS, and their Deputy Police Commissioner Glenn Schooling (seen above with Lynda King Taylor when she was working with SAPS in Cape Town) visited Paddington and attended a SWG meeting. Deputy Commissioner, SWG & Westminster City Council (WCC) steering group members, Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur QPM and others then enjoyed an evening with representatives of the various multi-cultural groups that make up Paddington including the Head of the UKs Egyptian Association,
Mostapha Ragab.
Success Is A Journey - Never A Destination
Also a recent event saw the outgoing Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Trotter QPM (now Deputy Chief Constable British Transport Police visit our British Transport Police Page) and the Leader of Westminster City Council Simon Milton address a well-received event of the police/community group led by Chair, Ibrahim El-Nour and Mostapha Ragab of the Muslim, Arabic communities and Egyptian UK Association.
A capacity audience heard enthusiastic endorsement of the total commitment to this joint partnership approach to reducing crime and disorder. 2004-2005 sees more guest speakers, outside police officers and multi agency professionals attend the meetings to reap and reward SWG best practice.
A recent meeting saw the new Borough Commander Operations Chris Allison praise the Chair and her committee for their continuing efforts working closely with the police to continue building membership of the SWG that now is truly representative of this Paddington community.
Chair highlighted however, to avoid any complacency arising from sharing a potent partnership with police. "There remain some community cynics where only time will tell if such commitment from the top brass is loyalty, or, as some community members perceive, a mere lip service. One thing is certain - there are no 'quick fixes' in partnership. Police and local authority officers and officials know they must come more on board with the partnership agenda if, as the Commissioner states, they can continuously improve their service to the community. Then we can all feel that bit safer in the heart of London."
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