ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of HPCCG--23 JANUARY 2012

Please come and join us at our ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING on Monday,23 January in the Council Chamber,at the Harrow Civic Centre,starting at 730pm.The Mayor of Harrow,Cllr Mrinal Chowdhury will Chair this important meeting.Borough Commander,Dal Babu,will update us on Counter-terrorism and other policing matters plus introduce our deputy Borough Commander,NEIL WILSON,whom some of you may have already met at our Ward panel meeting last month.

I shall be stepping down after a decade of chairing the HPCCG.It has been an interesting and exciting journey. I would like to sincerely thank all those who have worked so generously with me over many challenging years and members of public who have not only supported the HPCCG but have showered so much affection on me personally.I shall cherish that always.We have you to thank for our success.

Please ensure that the quality of the community engagement which we have jointly achieved ,with alot of hard work and committment over this decade, not only remains intact but is enhanced further.There is always room for improvement.Diminishing resources have made your input invaluable..Accepting tough challenges and making best use of what is available makes good sense.

At the AGM,you will hear about important changes for future community engagement in Harrow.It is best you have the opportunity to ask questions and have a clear understanding of what is being proposed.Your presence and participation will help us ensure that we continue making our police robustly accountable and deliver the quality of service you expect and deserve.This is your Forum,your chance to voice any concerns.Transparency and accountability are important to us.We look forward to welcoming many of you.

Earlier this week,I attended a rather special event,at which the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police,Bernard Hogan-Howe,inter-acted with a group of almost 350/400 community members from Harrow,Brent and Barnet.He was pleased it was so well-attended.Borough Commanders from Harrow,Brent and Barnet--DAL BABU,MATT GARDNER and NEIL SEABRIDGE--also attended along with North-West Area Commander,CHRISTINE JONES.She was also happy at the turn-out and people's interest in policing issues.The meeting ran over the allotted time but the Commissioner stayed back and spoke with a number of local folk which was much appreciated.The MET Police have also recorded feed-back from a number of people.We hope to learn alot from that.

We are most grateful to you for giving us so much support and for encouraging Harrow Police officers,in particular Chief Inspector,Russell Hughes,who was responsible for the local arrangements.Well done!Thanks also to those who came from Brent and Barnet.

The meeting was a definite success and should help guide the Senior management at Scotland Yard with their Policing plans for each of the 32 London boroughs the Commissioner visits throughout this year.He has already been to Lewisham and is due to visit Kingston-Upon -Thames,Merton and Surrey next month.These Roadshows should yield good dividends.It is most encouraging to see the Commissioner means business and is getting to know the community 's policing needs first-hand.We wish him luck and thank him warmly for taking the trouble to engage not only with the adult population but also some of our school children.He must get bonus points for that!

I have just attended a colourful harvest festival celebration in the Harrow Council Chamber--THAI PONGAL--on behalf of our Tamil Community.Councillors,community leaders,the Mayor and Mayoress of Harrow,Alderman Keith Toms,MP Bob Blackman and a host of celebrities attended.Many colourful dances and musical pieces were performed,by different age groups.Alot of effort went into its preparation.The organisers deserve praise.After these performances we were treated to traditional vegetarian Tamil fare,to mark this harvest festival in India,co-inciding with the Winter Solstice,also called MAKAR SANKRANT.

This festival is celebrated all over India.In North India local folk celebrate LOHRI.Everyone is celebrating new beginnings and tries to spread sweetness and light.We are fortunate to have a very rich mix of ethnic communities in our borough and endeavour to share our joys and sorrows.Our hearty congratulations to all Harrovians who are celebrating any festival.We sincerely hope this year will bring you all happiness.Looking forward to seeing you on 23 January at the AGM.

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