Sutton, a quiet, low crime, park rich borough on the London and Surrey borders, has been marking the 10th anniversary of a highly successful pioneering initiative in local government.
In January 2005, Sutton Council and the Met Police, with the personal endorsement of the then Met Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens, agreed to pool together their community safety services. But what made this partnership different was that council and police officers would work together under a single line management.
Called the Safer Sutton Partnership Service (SSPS) and based at Sutton Police Station, its purpose was to make the borough safer and achieve efficiencies that could be measured not only in crime reductions but also in real, on-going cost savings for residents.
Its services include CCTV, Safer Parks policing, the borough's Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, tackling alcohol fuelled violence with licensed premises, reducing repeat offending, providing help and support for victims of domestic violence and implementing emergency planning procedures.
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