A fierce political dispute has erupted in south London, with Wandsworth Council's Labour administration accused of breaking a key manifesto pledge on crime just months before the next local elections.
The Broken Pledge Allegation
Conservative leader Councillor Aled Richard-Jones has launched a blistering attack, claiming Labour misled voters by hiring Community Safety Officers instead of proper law enforcement officers. The controversy stems from Labour's 2022 election promise to "put more law enforcement officers on the streets... paid for by levies on property developers" - a pledge that helped them end four decades of Conservative control in the borough.
Councillor Richard-Jones argues that CSOs lack the fundamental powers of uniformed police officers, stating: "At a time when concerns about crime are rising, residents will be alarmed to see that Wandsworth Labour have abandoned their promise to fund more law enforcement officers on our streets, and shocked to see the Council Leader twisting the words of his own manifesto to conceal it."
Powers and Responsibilities Compared
The distinction between different enforcement roles lies at the heart of the controversy. While Community Safety Officers can issue fixed penalty notices and confiscate tobacco and alcohol if accredited under the Metropolitan Police's Community Safety Accreditation Scheme, they cannot detain suspects like Police Community Support Officers, who can hold people for up to 30 minutes.
A recent job advertisement highlighted the ambiguity, describing a £40,000-£50,000 CSO position as "non-uniformed and predominantly non-enforcement" while requiring "strong experience using ASB tools and powers". Neither CSOs nor PCSOs possess arrest powers beyond those available to ordinary citizens under Section 24A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
Crime Statistics and Political Sparring
Labour leader Councillor Simon Hogg hit back with dramatic rhetoric, suggesting the Conservatives "think we're living in Gotham City". He defended his administration's record, insisting they had kept their word by doubling the number of CSOs paid for by property developers.
"If we meant to say police officers, we would say police officers," Hogg stated during a heated council meeting on October 22. "It's a completely different job title. It's a completely different way of paying for it."
Despite Wandsworth ranking as the safest inner London borough, critics point to worrying trends. The borough has seen shoplifting and theft from persons surge from approximately 80 offences monthly in 2022 to a peak of 348 offences this August. Violent incidents also persist, including the tragic stabbing of 19-year-old Rinneau Perrineau in Lavender Hill during October.
The Conservatives highlighted that neighbouring Labour-run Westminster Council has taken a different approach, directly funding nine new police officers through a Police and Council Tasking Team to combat anti-social behaviour in crime hotspots.
As the May 2026 local elections approach, this dispute over manifesto interpretation and crime prevention strategy looks set to dominate political discourse in Wandsworth, with residents left to judge whether their council has delivered on its promises or engaged in political wordplay.
