The London Metropolitan Police have launched a new information and awareness campaign, titled "Meet Your Neighbors". The idea behind the campaign is to ensure the safety and security of all Londoners.

The new campaign highlights the 630 Safer Neighborhoods (SN) teams serving London. Officers from the SN units provide engaging, visible and accessible service in the capital, working to increase the local communities' confidence in the police force and reduce local crime rates.

The latest step in the campaign includes posters on the Underground, at bus stops and short radio advertisements, which encourage the public to contact local SN teams for any assistance. If you can't find one immediately on the streets, you can also visit the Metropolitan Police's Web site or call the new all-purpose police contact number - 101 - which was launched on July 11.

"My vision of total policing begins in the neighborhoods. We need dedicated teams of officers in every ward in London. We can only succeed if we work with and for local people to tackle the crimes that matter to them most," Bernard Hogan-Howe, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said in a statement.

"These officers who walk the beat and meet the public are part of local communities. As with any good neighbors they are the sort of people you want in your area. I'm encouraging my officers to talk to the public. My message to Londoners is to do the same," he added.

"Every local community in London continues to benefit from its own dedicated Safer Neighborhoods team, all working hard to support local communities and help address their crime or safety concerns. We are also being ever more flexible in opening up further channels for the public to access us, from our new contact number, 101, to home appointments, to our Twitter feed," Carl Bussey, the Acting Commander for the Metropolian Police's Crime and Customer Strategy Department, said.

"With prudent financial management, we have protected every constable and PCSO working in neighborhoods and ensured every ward will continue to have an SN team. Safer Neighborhood teams are here to stay and they have my full support," Kit Malthouse, the Deputy Mayor of Policing, said.

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