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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 Harrow we have also seen some real achievements including: We have reduced serious violence offences, to date, over half of all cases involving people carrying a weapon has led to action being taken - compared to just a third last year.We have targeted anti-social behaviour and crime on our streets and there has been a significant drop in shoplifting offences with approximately 500 less offences compared to last year.We have seen a 43% increase of Child Sexual Exploitation offences reported, making a total of 67 reported offences this year so far. 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 Harrow. 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 Monday 3rd November 2025, where you told us your main priorities were: Increase police presence and visibility on the high street, particularly around the night-time economy.Increase safety for women and girls on our streets.Improve communication with local residents about good work, crime prevention and community engagement. Thanks to your input, we are now working hard to tackle these issues: Harrow’s Local Policing Teams now deliver over 500 pre-planned community engagement events every month; a dramatic increase from just 12 events a month fifteen months ago. This transformation is building trust, preventing crime, and keeping people safe. These events matter because they bring communities together, strengthen confidence in policing, and create safer streets for everyone. By walking with women & girls through areas where they feel vulnerable, officers from Harrow’s Local Policing Team gain real insight into safety concerns that statistics alone can’t show. These conversations highlight issues like poor lighting or isolated routes, helping us act quickly and effectively. In the last fifteen months, Harrow’s Local Policing Teams have transformed the way it tackles crime. In July and August alone, we arrested over 230 suspects. Harrow now leads the Met in arrests per officer - 23% more than the next highest borough and more than double the Met average. That’s hundreds of robbers, burglars, sex offenders, shoplifters and violent offenders off the streets so they can not harm your community. Harrow ranks first in the Metropolitan Police Service for managing court warrants, with the lowest number of outstanding warrants across London. This matters to residents because swift arrests remove high-risk individuals from local streets, prevent repeat offending, and protect vulnerable people from further harm. It means fewer criminals in your neighbourhood, greater confidence that justice is being served, and a clear message that Harrow will not tolerate those who break the law. 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. Superintendent Zubin Writer | 
