Operation Ten Pin leads to crack house closure
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
16/09/2008
A crack house has been closed as part of a major council and police initiative to blitz crime in Shepherds Bush and Fulham.
Operation Ten Pin saw the police and the counci hit the streets of Shepherds Bush on Thursday 11 and Fulham on Friday 12 September.
In an early morning raid, as part of the Shepherds Bush activities, a crack house was raided and subsequently shut at 24 Aldine Court. West London Magistrates’ Court imposed a three month closure order and the property has been boarded up. The council's corporate anti-fraud service attended the crack house closure and investigated issues regarding housing benefit fraud.
The Shepherds Bush crack down also saw 13 people arrested for a range of crimes including GBH, possession of class A drugs and fraud.
Cllr Greg Smith, cabinet member for crime and anti-social behaviour, said: “Initiatives like this show how committed we are to making the streets of Hammersmith & Fulham safer. We know that drugs not only ruin lives but also fuel other crime. By shutting crack houses and locking the drug-users and drug dealers up we strike at the very heart of crime locally."
In addition, 11 fixed penalty notices were served and six vehicles seized for a variety of traffic offences including driving with no insurance and no licence.
The police also carried out 92 stop and searches and confiscated cannabis from three people.
Sergeant Finbar King of the Shepherds Bush Safer Neighbourhood Team was instrumental in the operation. He said: "This is an excellent example of the Police, council and other services working together and demonstrates how keen we are to tackle local issues. I would like to thank everyone who was involved in this initiative."
It was a similar story in Fulham, where two people were arrested for carrying class A drugs and seven vehicles were seized for no tax or insurance. Five people were apprehended for carrying cannabis a further nine people were stopped and searched for drugs.
The council was also on hand to clamp down on those people who misuse disabled blue badges. 60 badges were verified on North End Road and the team handed out five letters to motorists whose blue badges had faded.
The Fire Service also attended Fulham’s Operation Ten Pin and inspected ten high-risk premises. The service will now be taking appropriate action to address the areas of non-compliance.
Hammersmith & Fulham's street scene enforcement team attended both days and handed out 11 fixed penalty notices for littering. The council’s trading standards team were also out on the streets on both days and inspected 18 premises.
Cllr Smith, added: “Operation Ten Pin not only acts as a highly-visible deterrent to criminals but also reassures law-abiding residents that we are here to protect them. We have a zero-tolerance attitude to crime in Hammersmith & Fulham and will not rest until our streets are free from those who commit crime and anti-social behaviour.”
