Background
In January 2018 the Council mobilised a new contract for the housing patrol service with Croma Vigilance, taking the opportunity to introduce new contractual requirements and ways of working. The Council also realigned its services so that CCTV, the patrol service and the security contract now form part of a central Security team. This will help the Council make connections and synergies between its guarding operations, physical security systems and situational security measures such as the patrol service. To reassure and engage with the community using restorative approaches and intelligence gathering.
The patrol service has been renamed the Responsive Security Patrol and its aim is to build the confidence and competence of the patrol officers, to reassure and engage with the community using restorative approaches and intelligence gathering. Working with residents to gage its effectiveness and make a positive impact on the estates and communities it serves.
Changes that have been introduced as part of the new service include:
- Introduction of high visibility foot patrols
- Deployment of a dedicated “Hot Spot” vehicle
- Working more closely with community presence officers and the Police
- Patrol officers wearing body worn cameras
- Utilisation of the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS), this involves:
- In depth vetting of officers
- Training to support incident writing that can be used in court and intelligence gathering
- Accredited officers being able to award fixed penalty notices for certain types of incident (we will work with residents and Councillors before progressing this)
- We are also due to receive new patrol vehicles which will include CCTV dashboard cameras
An extended out of hours Responsive Security Patrol response
The service now has the flexibility to commence at 16:00 and finish at 03:00.
Performance
In terms of contract management we have a set of performance indicators against which we will monitor the effectiveness of the contract, the CSAS process also requires the vetting of and training of patrol officers to make sure that the highest standards are maintained.
We are also focused on performance in relation to call handling and customer service, we are working to improve this through staff engagement, coaching and feedback.
Contact Details
Tel: 020 7974 4444
Email: bradley.rayner@camden.gov.uk or stephen.smith@camden.gov.uk
