Southwark Council's Cabinet has accepted a series of recommendations from the Housing, Community Safety and Community Engagement Scrutiny Commission aimed at enhancing community safety across the borough. During a meeting on Monday, March 16, 2026, the Cabinet reviewed the commission's findings and agreed to implement ten recommendations. Of these, eight were accepted in full, with two partially accepted due to existing regulatory constraints or ongoing national frameworks.
The accepted recommendations focus on several key areas, including improving the reporting of crime, enhancing training for frontline staff and community representatives, and strengthening neighbourhood engagement.
Specifically, the council will work with the Metropolitan Police to improve the reporting of 'actual' crimes. This will involve strengthening joint council and police messaging, simplifying guidance on how and where to report different types of crime, and expanding targeted communications in town centres and high-footfall areas. The council will continue to reach communities less likely to report crime through voluntary and faith groups and maintain a focus on sharing outcomes from reporting to build trust and confidence. Over the next 12 months, the police plan to expand joint surgeries with local councillors and strengthen partner communication by encouraging wider use of the Met Engage QR code across shared literature and platforms.
Regarding safety on housing estates, a comprehensive review of communal lighting will be informed by an ongoing stock condition survey, which is currently one of the largest in the country. This survey will inform the council's asset management strategy throughout 2027. Following this, the asset management and investment strategies will be formulated, which will include communal lighting. Given current safety and compliance aspects, it is unlikely that communal lighting will be prioritised in the early years of the asset management strategy, but it remains an important aspect that will be addressed in due course.
The Cabinet also agreed to explore the interconnection of different CCTV systems across the borough to aid crime detection and improve resident safety. The CCTV Public Space Surveillance Team, responsible for over 550 cameras, will conduct a high-level review into how different council-owned and partner systems could be interconnected. This work will encompass technical feasibility, governance, data sharing requirements, cost analysis, and operational benefits for crime detection and resident safety.
In response to concerns about police front counter access, the council noted that Walworth Police Station will maintain reduced but operational front counter hours. The new delivery model will see Walworth operating a front counter between 10am-10pm Monday to Friday and 9am-7pm at weekends, effective from Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Outside of these hours, weatherproof phones will be available at all front counters for direct connection to 999 or 101 services, which are currently being upgraded to digital.
The council also highlighted the availability of various training programmes for housing officers, estate cleaners, and Tenant and Residents Association representatives on identifying signs of anti-social behaviour, domestic violence, and substance abuse. A range of training is available on My Learning Source. Change, Grow, Live (CGL) provides internal substance abuse awareness training to relevant council employees. Domestic abuse awareness training is also available on My Learning Source, with in-person sessions offered quarterly. Furthermore, the Community Safety Team has procured a new violence against women and girls (VAWG) support service that will deliver VAWG awareness sessions to professionals, including housing officers, estate cleaners, and T&RA representatives. Training on anti-social behaviour (ASB) is also available on My Learning Source to build frontline staff skills in supporting people's health and wellbeing.
While the council cannot directly regulate the sale of illegal e-bike chargers and batteries due to separate regulations, its Trading Standards team will inspect relevant chargers and batteries for compliance. The team can remove non-compliant chargers from sale, though it is understood that the vast majority are purchased online from suppliers outside of Southwark and the UK. The council has identified businesses within Southwark and will conduct visits over the next 12 months. The council will also continue to promote the London Fire Brigade's 'ChargeSafe' campaign.
Further actions include improving the signposting of anti-social behaviour and crime reports by Customer Service Officers. The council will also increase publicity of the online fire safety checker, which allows residents to ascertain if they need a fire safety check. The council works closely with the London Fire Brigade (LFB) on this initiative and is promoting the LFB's developing Business Safety Tool. The council will adopt all forms of participation and engagement with residents and businesses on a neighbourhood level, aligning with Town Action Plans to enhance crime reporting and resident safety.
Finally, the Community Safety Partnership will conduct a further analysis of anti-social behaviour and crime data to ascertain the full scope of gender-based violence, aligning with Home Office definitions. The Community Safety Team will present this data in their annual strategic assessment. Recommendation 2 was partially accepted due to existing regulatory constraints or ongoing national frameworks. Recommendation 6 was partially accepted because batteries are separately regulated to electrical products (i.e. chargers), and the council is not an enforcement authority for batteries; enforcement is reserved for the Office of Product Safety and Standards.
