Showdown talks over more police

People living in the isolated Wesley Estate in Park Royal are among those who are this week backing the Gazette's campaign to get more police to keep our streets safe.

And council leader Jason Stacey - who is pushing for more officers after calculating that our borough is under-staffed by up to 72 officers - will meet residents and police on Wednesday to hear their concerns.

Wesley Road Residents' Association chair Theresa Magee said: "You never see the police round here. The local policewoman has a big area to cover and she has to go where there are reports of trouble.

"People are having window mirrors broken off their cars and their cars scratched - crimes that nobody even bothers to report because they're so petty.

"We definitely need a bigger police presence. We used to have community police who everyone knew, and who were a bit more of a deterrent. Now people keep telling me that if they phone the police they get no response."

Councillor Stacey has pledged to push the Mayor's office and the Metropolitan Police Authority for reinforcements, and residents around the borough are joining the Gazette's calls for more full police officers in place of PCSOs with limited powers.

Eric Leach, vice-chairman of West

Ealing Neighbours, said: "It's about considerably more than just police on the streets. We have a police station in the middle of Ealing which is not fit for purpose and is pretty much empty.

"Having more police is definitely required but deploying them locally is just as important. A lot of us would like to see police based in West Ealing."

"PCSOs are an accident waiting to happen."

And Bill Davidson, chairman of umbrella residents' group Acton Alliance, was in agreement. He said: "I'm surprised it's gone on so long

without anybody twigging it before.

"Most people would like to see real policemen and women on the streets. One of the things that seems rather strange is that you see PCSOs about, but you don't see the real police. Where have they gone?

"It seems logical to me - and more than fair - that we get the police numbers we're entitled to, especially when you consider that as rate payers we are paying more money for extra PCSOs." [25a0] Fill in the coupon on this page and join our campaign to get more bobbies in Ealing.