You are safer but there is 'more to do'
Monday March 8, 2010
Crime rates across the borough have fallen dramatically since the council began hosting its annual crime summit.
“Hammersmith & Fulham continues to get safer with 27,139 crimes committed in 2005/06 compared to 20,431 four years later”, said Met Police Borough Commander Kevin Hurley.
Despite the impressive reductions in crime, residents – who packed into Hammersmith town hall last Saturday (March 6) – highlighted a range of new problems that they want the authorities to prioritise. Dangerous dogs, inconsiderate cyclists and drug dealing were just some of the issues raised by local people.
Borough Commander Ch Sup Kevin Hurley said residents’ feedback was a ‘vital help in the fight against crime’. He pointed to falls in the key crimes that residents flagged up at previous summits. He said: “Over recent years we have year-on-year falls in crime and the best record on cutting burglary in the Met. We have a dedicated burglary unit and a targeted drugs squad and the results speak for themselves.”
Mr Hurley said the council’s £1.8 million a year to pay for enhanced squads of town centre beat bobbies was ‘invaluable’. Before talking to officials about crime on a street-by-street basis, residents also heard that tackling drugs – which is known to be linked to around 70 per cent of all crimes committed in the borough – is also a major focus for the authorities. “Working with the council we have closed 62 crack houses,” said Mr Hurley. “This is more than the whole of Wales! This is not because the borough is awash with drugs it is because we take an aggressive stance against drug use.”
Following the Borough Commander’s speech residents broke off into ward based workshops to thrash out crime priorities on a hyper-local level. Littering, graffiti, knife crime, dog fouling and dangerous cyclists were all raised in the lively discussions.
Moira Naylor, 73, of Goldhawk Road, said: “I have a problem with cyclists going through red lights and riding on pavements. When they come up behind me it scares me because I veer slightly when I’m walking and it always worries me that I might get knocked over. We are actually very lucky with crime in this borough, other than cyclists, there isn’t any other anti-social behaviour or certainly nothing that worries me.”
The council’s Cabinet Member for Crime & Street Scene, Cllr Greg Smith, said that everyone one of the residents’ comments had been noted and promised action – by the appropriate police or council department – over the coming months. He said that getting more police on the streets, particularly in town centres, has been the centrepiece of the council’s crime fighting approach but added: “It is important to remember that councils are not providers or commissioners of policing but, because we know that this is residents’ top priority, we have made it our top priority.”
As well as funding extra Police officers, Cllr Smith highlighted enhanced CCTV coverage on housing estates; professional witnesses to gather court quality evidence; the borough-wide controlled drinking zone and the new neighbourhood wardens as core to the council’s zero-tolerance approach.
Cllr Smith reiterated the importance of strong enforcement action against aggressive beggars, fly-tippers and street drinkers and also praised residents who join Neighbourhood Watches. He said: “Neighbourhood Watch works and I am delighted that we now have 214 streets covered by a total of 160 watches. We now have thousands of residents helping in the war against crime.”
Officers are now collating hundreds of comments from the 16 workshops into a list of actions for urgent attention, according to the council.
Cllr Smith concludes: “I visited every one of the workshops and, although most of the people I spoke to acknowledged that large strides have been made in cracking down on crime over recent years, we now have another long list of actions to get on with.
“Residents are safer but there is no room for complacency and there is always more to do. We will continue to work hard with the Police but we cannot fight crime alone. Continued input from residents is vital. Residents have had their say and once again we are making their priorities our priority.”
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