For the first time the Metropolitan Police is taking coordinated action, it reports, to target anti-social behaviour (ASB) across all 32 boroughs this summer. The Met says it’s aimed at stamping out issues that blight communities.
Over July to September, all Safer Neighbourhoods Teams will take action under Operation Safer Places, to tackle ASB. Engagement with partners and the public, community safety panels, Neighbourhood Watch committees; dedicated ASB ward panels and surgeries seeks to gather information about local ASB issues and their impact. This work has resulted in each borough producing three promises to the public about how they will tackle ASB – which are now being delivered.
Boroughs will target their top five ASB offenders, ranging from drug dealers to persistent street drinkers and nuisance neighbours – involving officers executing warrants and applying for ASBOs and Acceptable Behaviour Contracts. Some 300 SNT officers will be tasked to patrol ASB borough hot spots at key times to deter and tackle the problem.
Every borough will carry out a multi-agency operation to clean up an ASB hot spot, working with partners to improve the look of the area, such as removing abandoned cars, graffiti, and drug paraphernalia – preventing the location from becoming a breeding ground for more serious crime. Boroughs will also take part in themed ASB activity weeks with action taking place to tackle a range of ASB from rowdy, nuisance behaviour to prostitution; begging; and littering.
Officers on every borough will visit local schools and youth clubs to raise awareness about how ASB impacts on people’s lives – educating them about how their behaviour can be perceived and affect others. Officers and partners will be working closely with ASB victims, providing home visits and working with them to develop appropriate solutions, keeping them updated about their case. ASB surgeries will continue to be held a once a month on boroughs to encourage residents to raise and report concerns.
Commander Mak Chishty, Met lead for ASB, said: “The MPS recognises the impact ASB can have on the lives of many people on a daily basis. It often leaves victims feeling helpless, desperate and with a seriously reduced quality of life and disrupts neighbourhoods and communities.
“ASB will not be tolerated by the MPS and we will take action against those who cause alarm or distress in their communities, using the full range of civil and criminal powers available to us to tackle offenders.
“The Met has made great progress in the way it handles ASB and we have made many changes to the way we tackle the problem – ensuring a victim-focused approach is embedded across the service. This means we can quickly identify the problem, and find the best ways, often with partner agencies, to tackle the damaging behaviour and reduce the harm it can cause to both individuals and communities.
“The ASB summer initiative builds on the progress and daily good work that takes place by SNTs to tackle ASB in their local areas. Our SNTs are dedicated to making your concerns ours. We are listening and working with local communities to understand your issues, so we can intelligently use our tactics to tackle the root causes and provide feedback to victims.
“Together, with our partners, the MPS is committed to taking action against ASB. If you are affected by ASB, I encourage you to get in touch with your local SNT and report it so we can take action and ensure London is a great place to live in.”
Baroness Helen Newlove, the Government’s Victims’ Commissioner is supporting. She said: “Crime and anti-social behaviour can make some neighbourhoods unbearable to live in, ruining the lives of innocent people not to mention the huge amounts of public money needed to repair the damage done to people and places.
“There are so many good people out there in the capital, working hard to make their neighbourhoods safe and happy places to live. It’s great to see London’s Safer Neighbourhoods Teams working with their wider communities to take action this summer in tackling the issues that are most important to them.”
To report ASB in your area visit the Met’s website at www.met.police.uk
