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Good evening (in advance of the launch tomorrow) Today the Met is launching the next phase of the New Met for London plan – and we are building on a mission that is working. We are driving down neighbourhood crime like phone-snatching and shoplifting by 14%, injuries from violence is at a 5-year low and we are arresting more than 1,000 extra criminals a month. Locally here in Bexley we have also seen some real achievements including: Reducing anti-social behaviour on our streets. There have been 501 fewer offences related to neighbourhood crime reported this financial year.A significant drop in vehicle crime, with 450 less vehicle offences reported this year – a reduction of 33%.A 14% increase in violent domestic abuse cases being brought to courts compared to the previous year.The New Met for London: Phase 2 strategy will see us: Put you and Londoners across the city at the heart of precise community crime-fighting, investing more in our local neighbourhood crime-fighting teams, driving performance on the frontline and making sure you can influence where we focus our efforts.Harness the power of technology and data to make a profound shift in how we police London and Bexley. Across the city the Met is looking at expanding the use of facial recognition technology and becoming even more precise in targeting the small number of offenders who cause the most harm, and the places and victims that suffer most.Build new partnerships and improve existing ones – whether with the public, private or the third sector – to achieve the best possible outcomes for you.As part of this commitment to listening to you, we hosted our Community Crime-Fighting event on Wednesday 12th November 2025, where you told us your main priorities were: Reducing drugs related anti-social behaviour across the borough.To increase police presence and visibility across the borough, specifically around the nighttime economy.To tackle shoplifting working alongside the local authority, retail businesses and security.Thanks to your input, we are now working hard to tackle these issues by: Deploying plain clothes patrols to tackle drug use, using Stop and Search powers to take drugs and knives off the streetsChanged our working patterns so that there are more officers available in the evenings to tackle crime and provide reassurance. Working with the business community to ensure officers are more visible in areas where local businesses are hit hardest by crime. We are also beginning to work closer with key partners by sharing intelligence, allowing us to tackle shoplifting together. The full New Met for London 2 strategy is now available for you to read online. I want to keep the conversation going - so thank you for joining us on Met Engage, which was introduced to help us do exactly that. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and warmest wishes for the New Year. Melanie Pressley Melanie Pressley - Detective Superintendent Bexleyheath Police Station | SE BCU - Metropolitan Police Service Join our Met Engage online community for two way conversation with your local officers - sign up here: https://www.metengage.co.uk/ 
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