Residents across the borough are being reassured there will be no routine Armed Police Patrols in Lambeth following media speculation. Reports have strongly been denied by Lambeth’s new Borough Commander, Nick Ephgrave.
Following speculation in the national media of Lambeth being one of the Boroughs to get routine police officers patrolling with guns has been vigorously denied by Mr Ephgrave who oversees all policing in Lambeth.

In a letter sent to WERA from Lambeth Living’s Chief Executive, Cathy Deplessis, the Borough Commander reassured residents this was not about to take place following extensive talks with various members of CO19 the Met police’s Armed response team and high ranking officers within New Scotland Yard. He states there are no such plans in place to bring armed officers to our estates and Streets anywhere in the borough. In some media reports Brixton was identified as one such place for officers to patrol armed.

In his open Letter, Chief Superintendent Ephgrave strongly dismisses the claims “I have made extensive enquiries with CO19 and senior officers at New Scotland Yard and have been reassured that there are no plans for armed officers to routinely patrol our town centres or estates. The press reporting is entirely inaccurate in this respect”

He goes on to add “Armed Police officers are deployed in Lambeth to support my officers as and when this is required. This has always been the case and no doubt I will continue to request this when it is necessary”

Those living in Lambeth are said to have been alarmed by the news of Armed officers patrolling on a daily basis with Local Safer Neighbourhood Teams but Mr Ephgrave goes on to criticise the media for their ‘misinterpreted’ version of the story from the Metropolitan Police Service.

Lambeth Living’s Cathy Deplessis has also reinforced the reassurance to its residents following discussions with the Borough commander and members of Lambeth Council “I would like to reinforce our commitment (Lambeth Living & Lambeth Council) to creating and maintainingsafer communities within all our estates and I look forward to working together to achieve this.”

You can read the full open letter here.