This week, Westminster Conservatives have published our plan for Safe Streets. We spoke with the Conservative Leader of Westminster City Council, Cllr Paul Swaddle, to find out more. Paul explained,

Under Labour, crime has got worse. Phone theft, antisocial behaviour, public disorder and drug dealing have all increased.

People think twice before using their phone on the street. Shopkeepers have accepted shoplifting as a daily reality. Families avoid their local parks. And schools have lost community police officers.

All under Sadiq Khan’s watch as Westminster Labour have overseen managed decline.

Westminster Conservatives have a plan to deliver Safe Streets in our city and take real action on crime and enforcement.

If elected on 7 May, Westminster Conservatives will deliver:

• A dedicated Cabinet Member for Enforcement from day one, with clear accountability across every enforcement function the Council controls.
• More uniformed patrols on our streets to strengthen visible enforcement.
• Targeted action on phone theft and work with the Met to crack down on crime hotspots across Westminster.
• Real enforcement on dockless bikes, with an operator summit to agree binding parking standards, geofenced no go zones and fines that are actually collected. We will impound bikes from non-compliant operators. Labour promised over £1 million in revenue. Barely £5,000 was generated.
• Expanded City Inspector deployment during late afternoons, evenings and weekends, when pressures are highest.
• Stronger partnership with the Met, holding the Mayor to account for his cuts to neighbourhood policing, including the dismantling of the Royal Parks Police and removing school community officers.
• Protecting our parks, championing robust enforcement of park regulations across Regent's Park, St James's Park, Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
• Proactive use of Public Space Protection Orders and Community Protection Notices to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour hotspots across estates, high streets and visitor areas.
• Tackling drug use and street drinking, with firm enforcement against open drug use and dealing alongside proper support for those struggling with addiction.
• Cracking down on illegal short-term lets, making enforcement a priority, pressing for a national registration scheme and holding platforms like Airbnb to account.
• Proactive CCTV, including exploring AI and facial recognition on Council owned cameras, working with the police and local businesses to focus camera networks on fighting crime.
• Youth diversion programmes, including clubs, sports and mentoring, to tackle knife crime and give young people a genuine alternative.
• The Night Stars programme, maintained and strengthened to support vulnerable individuals during busy night-time hours in the West End.
• Compassionate but firm action on rough sleeping, with personalised outreach, transitional accommodation and enforcement against the organised exploitation that sits behind it.

If you want a council that will get a grip on crime and grime in Westminster, Vote Conservative on 7 May.

Read our plan for Safe Streets here.