The former intelligence officer has fired off two petitions calling for a ‘safer neighbourhood’ local police office to be set up closer to Queensbury than Wembley town centre.
The 53-year-old leads the Queensbury Police Ward panel, covering the patch north of Wembley, with his troop of citizen volunteers.
Although normally quiet, he believes the area’s proximity to the A5 makes it vulnerable to burglars, who can break into homes and be miles away before people are aware.
And police don’t have a base in the area for neighbourhood officers. The nearest is Chalk Hill – almost two miles away as the crow flies – and the panel says neighbourhood officers travel on public transport as they no longer have police vehicles after budget cuts.
“The ‘bad guys’ drive here up the Edgware Road because they know there’s no police presence,” Omid believes.
“Just a blue light somewhere would deter them if they see there could be officers out patrolling.
“This is a relatively ‘low crime’ area on paper so it gets no priority resources. Our people who are passive and don’t report things would benefit from a police presence.”
His citizens’ panel launched two petitions which have amassed almost 11,000 supporters calling for the Met Police to work with Brent and next-door Harrow local authorities to identify a suitable site and funding.
“Bad guys stay away from areas with police presence,” Omid stresses. “We want to discourage them driving up the A5 from areas like Kilburn, Cricklewood and Colindale — a blue light would do it.”
Members of the liaison panel have identified a property in Kingsbury owned by Brent Council that could serve as a neighbourhood office. It was leased to a restaurant that’s since been closed down and could be used to keep watch over Queensbury, Roe Green, Kenton, Preston and Kingsbury itself.
“Our Safer Neighbourhood Team does great work,” Omid says. “But they need to be rooted in the area they serve.
“A local base would allow officers to build stronger relationships with the public, share information and work with schools and businesses to prevent crime before it happens.”
