Wandsworth Council to Invest £3.1 Million in Dedicated Police Officers and Integrated Enforcement Team
Wandsworth Council is set to make a significant investment of £3.1 million in dedicated police officers and the development of a new Integrated Enforcement Team (IET) to tackle a range of issues affecting residents' quality of life.
The Enforcement Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee of Wandsworth Council met on Monday, October 5, 2026, to discuss proposals aimed at enhancing community safety and enforcement across the borough. Key among these was the pre-decision scrutiny of a proposal to invest £3.1 million in 25 dedicated Metropolitan Police officers and the development of an IET. The funding for this initiative is primarily from Neighbourhood CIL receipts, with the estimated cost for the first year being £3.1 million. Additional operational costs for specialist equipment, technology, secure storage, vehicles, or cycle provision will be refined through detailed design and managed within the overall revenue funding envelope.
The new initiative will see 22 Police Constables and 3 Sergeants deployed under the Council's tactical direction, working alongside existing council enforcement services and the proposed IET. This move is intended to increase visible policing and foster a more coordinated, intelligence-led approach to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. The dedicated officers and the IET are primarily intended to address anti-social behaviour, low-level crime, local hotspot issues and early intervention support.
More specifically, the proposal mentions tackling ASB, drug-related harm, e-bike misuse, violence against women and girls, and other matters affecting residents' sense of safety.
Councillors expressed general support for the investment, with discussions focusing on tracking improvements, the legality and source of funding, and the integration of these new officers with existing teams. Councillor [Name withheld], Cabinet Member for Enforcement, stated that the initiative aligns with the administration's manifesto pledge to invest in policing and address residents' concerns about crime. The report clarifies that while the officers will be deployed, under Council tactical direction, alongside Public Protection, local MPS teams and wider enforcement services to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour and the issues residents and businesses say affect confidence, livelihoods and quality of life,
they will remain under Metropolitan Police command and terms of employment, but their day-to-day tasking would be managed collaboratively.
The IET will combine police and council powers, aiming for a visible, intelligence-led, and community-focused service. The integration will involve co-location of the new police officers within the town hall campus
and working closely with CCTV based in the town hall campus to ensure that we've got faster information sharing and joint tasking.
Early indications suggest the first deployment of the 25 dedicated Metropolitan Police officers could occur in the fourth quarter of the current financial year. The establishment of the IET is being pursued at pace
to maximise the benefit of the policing uplift.
To track the effectiveness of this investment, a robust range of key performance indicators (KPIs) will be implemented. These will monitor everything from service requests and fines issued to patrol numbers and arrests made by the police. The full suite of KPIs is currently being developed.
The subcommittee also discussed its future work programme, with suggestions for a Task and Finish Group to further examine the dedicated policing team proposal and other related issues. An informal work programming session is planned to develop the programme collaboratively with officers. The full details of the proposal can be found in the public reports pack for the meeting: Public reports pack.