Newham Council has taken to the streets of Stratford and West Ham with the Metropolitan Police to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and listen to resident’s concerns.
The Community Safety Days of Action, which took place on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 January, targeted hotspots to help make these areas safer, cleaner and greener for residents, businesses and visitors.
Councillor James Beckles, Cabinet Member for Crime and Community Safety, said:
“We want Newham streets and parks to be safe and pleasant public spaces for our residents to enjoy and our Community Safety Days of Action brought together a range of council services and the police to tackle the issues that our residents raised..
“A range of issues from illegal dumping, noise nuisance and many other serious issues were dealt with and It also gave us another opportunity to speak with residents to listen and understand their concerns and discuss what can be done to tackle anti-social behaviour. We work with our residents to understand their concerns and take get rid of the blight of crime and anti-social behaviour on our lives.”
A number of council services, including the community safety team and waste and recycling team, together with the police, took part in a range of activities, including weapons sweeps, fly tipping checks, recording of abandoned vehicles, noise nuisance clampdowns, graffiti removal and stop and searches. The days were also an opportunity to speak with residents about the issues affecting them.
As a result of the days of action, the installation of knife detection arches and stop and searches brought arrests for carrying knives, blades and knuckle dusters. There was also an arrest for possession of cannabis.
Action in Stratford New Town on violence against women and girls, saw an arrest for sexual harassment and a warning given for unwanted comments.
Throughout the days, fines and warning notices were also handed out to businesses which had overflowing bins. There were also fines and notices issued for littering and abandoned vehicles, while blue badge checks led to the discovery of a stolen badge. Waste carriers also came under scrutiny with fines issued for commercial waste fly tipping. The waste team collected 3400kg from four tips.
Newham recently launched a new hard hitting campaign to tackle illegal dumping.
Illegal dumping is a criminal offence under the Environmental Protection Act which can result in a £400 fine or criminal prosecution. Last year we issued over £100,000 worth of fines to people who dumped rubbish.
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