A police officer will be outside EVERY polling station in Tower Hamlets today
A police officer will be station outside every polling station in the borough. Picture: POLLY HANCOCK - Credit: Archant
More than 70 police officers will be deployed outside polling stations to help combat fraud at today’s general election.
“Robust measures” to tackle electoral malpractice were announced by Tower Hamlets Council last month.
The move comes two years after results of the borough’s 2014 mayoral election were declared unvalid, after the High Court found re-elected mayor Lutfur Rahman “personally guilty” of “corrupt and illegal practices”.
Under the new measures, a police officer will be present at every polling station across the borough, and a mobile police team will also be available to respond to incidents.
Large groups of campaigners will also not be banned from congregating around polling stations.
The council also promised that all allegations made to the acting returning officer will be investigated fully and responded to within 24 hours.
In the last few weeks, police launched a fresh investigation into voting fraud in Tower Hamlets following complaints that Rahman had not been prosecuted for his actions.
