Love Your Doorstep teams up with Met Police to expand successful after-school patrol scheme in Enfield Town to other parts of the borough

A community patrol scheme helping to protect children on their way home from school has been expanded into Edmonton – with plans for a further expansion into Southgate later this year.

Love Your Doorstep (LYDS) has teamed up with the Metropolitan Police to deliver the expansion of the LYDS community patrol as part of the ‘New Met For London’ strategy.

The scheme was first launched in February 2019 to address youth-on-youth crime in Enfield Town, especially in the hours after school, with patrol volunteers donning hi-vis jackets to provide a “visible deterrent” and “prompt those with ill intentions to move on swiftly”.

The community patrol scheme has proven successful in the area where it has been active to date, but will now be expanding to cover other parts of the borough in response to increasing incidents of muggings and robberies targeting local secondary school children.

The Edmonton community patrol launched on Monday (5^th) and a further expansion to Southgate is now planned for April. LYDS also launched a patrol scheme in Dulwich, South London, last year.

All volunteers undergo thorough DBS checks and adhere to strict codes of conduct and safeguarding policies.

Superintendent Chris Byrne, of Enfield’s neighbourhood policing team, and Rebecca Pritchard, head of volunteering at New Scotland Yard, have collaborated closely with Emma Rigby, founder and director of Love Your Doorstep Community CIC, to roll out the new patrols.

Supt Byrne said: “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Love Your Doorstep Community CIC and launch the community patrol scheme across other areas of Enfield

“This initiative aligns seamlessly with our commitment to community engagement and safety, providing an extra layer of security through the dedication of local volunteers.”

Rebecca said: “We’re delighted to be supporting this community led initiative with Love Your Doorstep which provides a fantastic opportunity for local people to volunteer alongside the Met Police in support of our commitment to work with communities to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.”

Emma expressed enthusiasm about the expansion and added: “The success of the community patrol scheme in Enfield and Dulwich demonstrates the positive impact local communities can have when working collaboratively with the Metropolitan Police.

“We look forward to fostering a safer environment for our children in Enfield through this joint effort.”

For more information on the LYDS community patrol scheme and to enquire about volunteering:
Email [email protected]

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