Croydon Council has welcomed the announcement a new police borough commander has been appointed and will take over in December.
Chief Superintendent Jeff Boothe will take up the role on 10 December 2016, when current borough commander Andy Tarrant retires.
The 51-year-old, who has been the borough commander at Bexley since March 2015, lives in Croydon and joined the Metropolitan Police after 24 years’ service with British Transport Police.
“This is fantastic news and having a borough commander that lives in Croydon will ensure the town’s best interests are at heart.
“Jeff comes with a fantastic reputation and we look forward to working very closely with him and helping to keep Croydon a welcoming, safe and inclusive 24-hour borough.”
Councillor Tony Newman, leader of the council
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Mr Boothe said: “I am excited about taking on the challenge of providing a quality policing service for the people of Croydon.
“The Borough of Bexley has achieved outstanding results during my time; 29% reduction in burglary offences, 42% reduction in robbery offences; a renewed focus on domestic abuse, safeguarding children and missing person have contributed to public confidence and satisfaction levels being above the Met average. I am especially proud to say I leave Bexley Borough as the lowest crime borough across the whole of London”.
Mr Booth spent 12 years within CID whilst working at the British Transport Police and held a variety of roles including Deputy Senior Investigating Officer on the Hatfield Train Crash. He also has extensive Public Order and Events Experience from covering the Olympics, Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and Notting Hill Carnival.
Cabinet member for Communities, Safety and Justice, Cllr Hamida Ali said: “We offer a warm welcome to the new borough commander and are happy to be working in partnership with him.
“He brings with him a wealth of experience in areas that are key council priorities, such as domestic abuse and safeguarding, and his experience of key international events bodes well as Croydon looks to redevelop and expand its night-time economy.”
