A COUNCIL is the only one in London refusing to take part in a series of police meetings aimed at tackling youth crime, it has been revealed.

Greenwich Council is not taking part in the joint engagement meetings (JEMs), run by the Metropolitan Police Authority in conjunction with local authorities and police.

So far, meetings have taken place with 21 boroughs and a further nine are scheduled before the end of the year looking at issues such as school truancy, youth services and offender management.

Each borough commander attends, along with other groups including Transport for London, British Transport Police, the London Criminal Justice Board and Youth Justice Board.

Leader of Greenwich Conservatives Councillor Spencer Drury has slammed the council over its decision not to attend the meetings, set up by the authority chairman, Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

He said: “I am disgusted that the council is simply refusing to take part in meetings designed to reduce crime in our borough.

“JEMS are not intended to hold the local authority to account for performance, but to enable an interactive session where best practices can be shared.

“This refusal to be part of a coordinated approach in the fight against crime shows that Labour are prepared to let Greenwich residents suffer rather than work with Boris.”

The council points out it puts £1m towards a Violent and Organised Crime Unit and claims gun and knife crime has been falling in the borough.

A council spokesman said: “In relation to the so-called joint engagement meetings, we have taken the view at this time that these merely seek to duplicate bureaucratic oversight of community safety activities.

“They would take police and community safety officers off the street and divert them from doing what they should be doing – fighting crime and reassuring residents on our streets and in our neighbourhoods.”