Private ‘police force’ to roll out nationally after success
London UK May 9 2018
A private ‘police force’ is expanding nationally after success in three affluent London areas.
For £100 to £200 a month, staff from My Local Bobby will meet with people, discuss any concerns and investigate crimes.
‘Bobbies’ patrol neighbourhoods and let people who pay track their progress on an iPad app.
The business was set up by two former Metropolitan Police officers. Although the ‘bobbies’ are not PCs, they will make citizen arrests and gather evidence for private prosecutions.
The business was set up by former Metropolitan Police detective chief inspector David McKelvey and Tony Nash, former commander of the London borough of Newham.
After initially operating in Belgravia, Mayfair and Kensington, the company now plans to expand to other cities amid rising demand for their services.
The company has reportedly achieved more than 400 convictions for offences including fraud and intellectual property theft. They will investigate crimes such as drug dealing to criminal damage, and have even investigated a murder.
Mr McKelvey told the Sunday Express: ‘You don’t see policemen walk around the streets any more. If you call 101 it’s a 30-minute wait and it is not a police officer who answers. ‘My Local Bobby is basically taking things back to Dixon of Dock Green-style policing.’ However, not everyone has welcomed the idea of a two-tier style of policing, with back-up for those who can pay even as forces in general are stretched.
A spokesman for the Met Police said they had some concerns about this kind of business if not done carefully: ‘
The Met does not support activities by individuals or groups who target suspected criminals. ‘This type of action could jeopardize or interfere with ongoing investigations, and our advice to anyone who has information about a suspect or witnesses a crime is to contact police as soon as possible so it can be investigated and, where possible, bring people to justice.
‘Revealing the identity of a potential suspect could give them the opportunity to destroy evidence before police become involved. Individuals or groups who target potentially violent criminals could be putting themselves at risk and we advise anyone who witnesses such crimes to call 999.’
However, they said: ‘Where organizations or communities wish to fund their own security patrols we will work with these personnel in the most appropriate way to prevent and detect crime. ‘
Any reports of crime and evidence provided to the Met by a third party will always be assessed and dealt with in the most appropriate way. ‘We would encourage residents who have concerns about policing in their area to contact their local Safer Neighborhoods Team.’
