Newham Community Constabulary
Encyclopedia
Newham Community Constabulary, formerly called Newham Parks Constabulary, was a very small non-Home Office
constabulary
responsible for patrolling the 52 parks and open spaces covering 1.63 square miles in the London Borough of Newham
.
Newham Parks Constabulary was established in 1998, with thirteen constables headed by a Senior Parks Constable. In 2001, following the departure of the Senior Constable, the new grade of Sergeant
was created and three constables promoted to it. In 2004 the service was reformed by the Newham Council, headed by Sir Robin Wales in the newly created office of directly elected mayor. The service was renamed the Newham Community Constabulary and an Inspector
was appointed to head the service. In July 2009 the Constabulary was disbanded.
The service had forty employees which consists of one Inspector, six Sergeants, and thirty three Constables. Members of the constabulary were sworn as constable
s under section 18, Ministry of Housing and Local Government Provision Order Confirmation (Greater London Parks and Open Spaces) Act 1967. This gave the constables the powers and privileges of a constable to enforce by-laws in relation to parks and open spaces under their control. They had no constabulary powers to enforce criminal law and should not have been be mistaken for police officers. Once they left the clearly identified parks areas, they had no legal powers to enforce by-laws, indeed an official report into their activities concluded that Even in the parks they cannot arrest for offences under other legislation such as the Theft Act or the Criminal Damage Act – other than as a private citizen. http://apps.newham.gov.uk/docs/asbrsum.pdf
Any serious incidents and crimes in the parks were dealt with by the Metropolitan Police Service
.
Following a number of allegations into corruption, racism and abuse of non-existent police powers the constabulary was subject to an investigation. An official report identified that the use of titles such as sergeant and constable was misleading as members of the service are council workers rather than police officers and it has been recommended that those titles are changed to reflect their actual status and powers. An official report concluded that those responsible for Parks Constables need to be careful that their staff do not describe themselves as police or that any uniform they wear is not so similar to that of the Police to cause confusion in the minds of the public. This comment was echoed by Liberty, who felt that the use of police forms by those council employees might cause members of the public to confuse them with police officers.
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
constabulary
Constabulary
Constabulary may have several definitions.*A civil, non-paramilitary force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in Britain, in which all county police forces once bore the title...
responsible for patrolling the 52 parks and open spaces covering 1.63 square miles in the London Borough of Newham
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...
.
Newham Parks Constabulary was established in 1998, with thirteen constables headed by a Senior Parks Constable. In 2001, following the departure of the Senior Constable, the new grade of Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
was created and three constables promoted to it. In 2004 the service was reformed by the Newham Council, headed by Sir Robin Wales in the newly created office of directly elected mayor. The service was renamed the Newham Community Constabulary and an Inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
was appointed to head the service. In July 2009 the Constabulary was disbanded.
The service had forty employees which consists of one Inspector, six Sergeants, and thirty three Constables. Members of the constabulary were sworn as constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
s under section 18, Ministry of Housing and Local Government Provision Order Confirmation (Greater London Parks and Open Spaces) Act 1967. This gave the constables the powers and privileges of a constable to enforce by-laws in relation to parks and open spaces under their control. They had no constabulary powers to enforce criminal law and should not have been be mistaken for police officers. Once they left the clearly identified parks areas, they had no legal powers to enforce by-laws, indeed an official report into their activities concluded that Even in the parks they cannot arrest for offences under other legislation such as the Theft Act or the Criminal Damage Act – other than as a private citizen. http://apps.newham.gov.uk/docs/asbrsum.pdf
Any serious incidents and crimes in the parks were dealt with by the Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
.
Following a number of allegations into corruption, racism and abuse of non-existent police powers the constabulary was subject to an investigation. An official report identified that the use of titles such as sergeant and constable was misleading as members of the service are council workers rather than police officers and it has been recommended that those titles are changed to reflect their actual status and powers. An official report concluded that those responsible for Parks Constables need to be careful that their staff do not describe themselves as police or that any uniform they wear is not so similar to that of the Police to cause confusion in the minds of the public. This comment was echoed by Liberty, who felt that the use of police forms by those council employees might cause members of the public to confuse them with police officers.