Treading on estate menaces

by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
12/12/2007

The war on louts has hit another gear as an army of estate wardens begin new patrols on Hammersmith and Fulham estates.

The revamped wardens began their mission six months ago by visiting estates in the borough to meet residents and to assure the law-abiding majority that they were here to help. And as neighbours asked for more help in tackling lawless louts, council wardens have stepped in.

Now council chiefs have ordered the wardens back out to patrol day and night, both on foot and in their new 4x4s armed with night vision cameras, to bring the yobs to justice. 

Hammersmith & Fulham Council invested in the cutting-edge Land Rovers to tackle the troublemakers that plague some of the borough’s estates. In the past, CCTV evidence captured on cameras was not always the best quality and could not always guarantee a conviction in court. 

But Councillor Greg Smith, cabinet member for crime & anti-social behaviour, explains, “Our cameras are the same as the cameras used in the Big Brother house – they can see in complete darkness through its infra red sensors. These lights are invisible to the human eye and the person being filmed would not know that they are standing in an area that is being flooded with infrared light. Hooligans can run – but they can’t hide."