New borough commander 'honoured' to be working in Haringey (From Haringey Independent)

New borough commander Chief Superintendent Victor Olisa honoured to be working in Haringey

1:23pm Tuesday 5th March 2013 in News By Bruce Thain

Haringey's new borough police commander says building trust with the community is one of the challenges he faces.

And he has defended 'stop and search' tactics - as long as they are led by intelligence and carried out "with respect".

Chief Superintendent Victor Olisa began work in Haringey yesterday, taking over from Detective Chief Superintendent Sandra Looby, who announced she would be leaving to become commander of the Operational Unit at the Palace of Westminster.

Chief Supt Olisa had previously been borough commander of Bexley in south London and on his first day he spoke to the Haringey Independent about his plans for the borough.

He said: "It’s a real honour to be chosen to work here and have that vote of confidence. It’s a privilege to be able to lead these officers and build on the tremendous results which have been achieved."

Mr Olisa began his career with Surrey Police in 1982 after completing a degree in bio-chemistry and worked in a number of departments in the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police.

Discussing the challenges he faces in his new borough he said: “Trust of the police in Haringey is a major issue. It’s important people trust me and my officers to do the right thing.

“If we can build trust between the community and the police then people might start to look at us in a different way.

“One of the big priorities for me is people’s safety. From young people to the wider public, out I want to make sure they are safe in the streets.

“But also I want to make sure people are safe in private property and make sure we tackle domestic violence.”

The senior policeman played an important role in the development of stop and search tactics throughout London and the UK which has proved controversial among some parts of the community in Haringey.

He said: “I will use stop and search as a tactic, but what is important is that it is used in an effective way. What we want to stop is it being used as a performance measure.

“It’s not about how many are done. It is about how it is used and used for the right reasons, led by intelligence and with respect.”

During his first week in the new commander will be hosting an 'ask the Borough Commander' web chat on Twitter on Thursday March 7 from 3.30pm to 4.30pm.

People will be able submit questions to the @MPSHaringey account using the hashtag #AskBC.