Wates Giving helps community police scheme hit the road

The St Dunstans & Stepney Green Safer Neighbourhoods Team has been given a push by Wates Giving, which has funded the purchase of new bicycles for the community policing initiative.

The team patrols an area of Tower Hamlets to tackle community problems like anti-social behaviour and crime. One of the areas covered by the initiative is the Ocean Estate where Wates Living Space was recently appointed for an £88 million project to refurbish existing housing stock, and create new homes

Wates Giving is a charitable programme run by the Wates family, owners of the Wates Group, which invests in local projects which benefit communities for the long term. The programme receives many of the nominations for its awards from Wates employees who are able to identify schemes which will have a positive impact.

George Moroney, business manager for Wates Living Space, the affordable housing division of the Wates Group, said: “We have been working on a refurbishment improvement project for the Ocean Estate over the last 10 months and have really noticed the presence of the Safer Neighbourhoods bicycle scheme in the area.

“We were keen to look for ways in which we could make a lasting difference to the community and thought that supporting the Safer Neighbourhoods Team would be perfect. We decided to propose the funding of a new fleet of bikes and servicing scheme for a Wates Giving award to help keep the scheme on the road.”

The Safer Neighbourhoods initiative was launched by the Metropolitan Police Service in 2004 to dedicate a team of police constables and community support officers (PCSOs) to the needs of each specific neighbourhood in London. The policing priorities for that area are then decided by members of the public, crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs), local authorities and other local organisations.

Inspector Stephen Manger for the Tower Hamlets Safer Neighbourhoods Team west cluster, said: “The Safer Neighbourhoods bicycle scheme has been a real success with officers able to move quickly in and around the area, whilst also having a visible local presence.

“However, our fleet of bikes are used so frequently that they quickly wear out and much of our existing fleet was becoming beyond repair. The fleet of four new bicycles will help us to maintain our presence within the Tower Hamlets area and tackle the issues affecting this community.”