Press Release

Raft Of New Measures Being Introduced To Make Residents Feel Safer

26/06/2008

TACTICS for tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in Camden over the next three years have been set down in a new Community Safety Partnership Strategy.

The new plan sets out the priorities for Camden’s Community Safety Partnership – made up of Camden Council, the police, and a wide range of other agencies who together will crackdown on crime and antisocial behaviour in the borough. The new strategy places a strengthened focus on tackling anti-social behaviour and youth violent crime.

Actions identified for 2008-11 include:
·    Joint patrols between police officers and youth workers to engage with and deter young people away from offending
·    Taking action against retailers caught selling knives to young people
·    Support youth victims of crime by improving access to support services
·    Share information across the council and police to enable an intelligence lead approach to deal with young people who are involved in, or in danger of becoming involved in, gang related activity
·    Tackling drugs and alcohol misuse, which is often the root of crime and antisocial behaviour, by offering treatment services to residents
·    Encourage communities to be more involved in tackling crime and antisocial behaviour by making them aware and knowledgeable about preventative measures they themselves can take
·    Make it easier for residents to report antisocial behaviour by establishing one central access point and improve feedback about actions taken to tackle anti-social behaviour 
·    Introduce a marshalled taxi rank in Camden Town making it safer for people going out in the area at night.

Other action planned includes continuing the successful weeks of action operations that blitz areas identified as having particularly high levels of crime and anti-social behaviour. Activity includes drug sniffer dogs patrolling parts of the borough, young offenders giving something back to the community, and illegal traders targeted for selling goods such as knives and alcohol to under age youths.

The partnership will also work closer with businesses to design out crime to reduce opportunities for drug use and drug dealing. This could include improving lighting and blocking up areas that could be used for drug dealing.

The new plan has been developed following extensive consultation with residents. The Council asked people what their top concerns were and this has helped shape the Partnership’s priorities for the next three years.

Residents said:
·    Tackling crime and community safety issues are top priorities
·    The visible use and dealing of drugs impacts on the quality of life for residents in the borough
·    Antisocial behaviour undermines the quality of life of residents
·    Violent crime and the impact it has on individuals and communities is a main concern for residents.

Cllr James King, Camden Council’s Executive Member for Community Safety, said:

“The Council, with police and other partners, has made great progress in the last three years by working together to significantly reduce crime in the borough. However, big challenges still remain. We have listened to residents concerns in making tackling anti-social behaviour and youth violent crime high priorities in this strategy.

“Our aim for the next three years is to continue to reduce crime and respond effectively to incidents of antisocial behaviour across Camden by working together across all agencies and with the communities we serve. We, and the rest of the Community Safety Partnership, are committed to working together to ensure that Camden is a safe and vibrant part of our world city.”

In the past three years the borough has seen a 30 per cent reduction in the most serious crime reducing the overall crime rate in Camden from over 51,000 to 36,466 offences.

The Council has invested in an extra 18 police community support officers (PCSOs) to tackle the aggressive drugs market in Camden Town – one of the Council’s main priorities. The injection of extra council and police resources established a visible and re-assuring presence on the high street and crime in the area was reduced by 17 per cent and visible drug dealing by 26.5 per cent. 

Over the last three years more focus has been placed on ensuring residents know what action the Council and its partners have taken against antisocial behaviour such as crackhouse closures and arrests of drug dealers.

A number of new projects have been developed including working closely with some of the most problematic families in the borough who have blighted the lives of their communities.

More recently the Council has introduced five new antisocial behaviour co-ordinators who are providing a quicker and more consistent response to tenants’ and leaseholders’ crime and antisocial behaviour concerns.

A full copy of the report is available at www.camden.gov.uk/communitysafety