Agenda item

Community Safety Update

Officers from the local Police Safer Neighbourhoods Teams to give an update and respond to questions.

 

Community Wardens update

Minutes:

Safer Neighbourhood Teams

Sergeant Tom Leach, Brunswick Park and South Camberwell Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) gave the following updates for each ward:

 

Camberwell Green

·  Officers had carried out two search warrants under drugs laws

 

·  Street drinking was targeted as part of an ongoing operation around Camberwell Green. The levels of street drinking had fallen.

 

·  There was a problem with drug dealing in the area, in particular around betting shops. Several anti-social behaviour orders had been issued which had to an extent reduced the problem.

 

·  Officers were working with housing associations to deal with the problems caused by dangerous dogs in housing blocks. Letters had been sent to affected residents about the progress being made.

 

South Camberwell

·  Several arrests for conspiracy to supply drugs had been made since the last community council meeting.

 

·  Denmark Hill and surrounding estates had been targeted recently with the aim of reducing Anti-Social Behaviour.

 

Brunswick Park

·  Fourteen arrests had been made since the last community council meeting. A drugs warrant was executed in January.

 

·  Officers had targeted anti-social behaviour on the Glebe Estate. Two males had recently been arrested for driving a stolen vehicle.

 

·  The SNT were providing support for funding streams for youth groups in Southwark. Successful funding bids had been secured for local scouts, the Carrot Club and Catch-22, amongst others.

 

In response to questions, Sgt Leach made the following points:

 

·  Officers were working with the RSPCA on tackling a problem at a local premises where a nuisance dog tended to bark late into the night.

 

·  Local betting shops had been very co-operative with the SNT in tackling the problems that seemed to occur in and around their businesses.

 

Community Wardens

Jo Skelton, Community Wardens Team Leader, explained that the team was up to its full capacity of six wardens. The team was based at the new Queens Road offices in Peckham. Among the priority matters tackled during the last twelve weeks were: tackling anti-social behaviour, street drinking, begging, burglary and theft from school children. Wardens were aiming to get on the housing estates more often in future and welcomed community feedback on any issues.

 

The wardens had been working with the housing department to visit vulnerable older people in the community. Additionally, they were still looking for more volunteer street leaders to help improve the local environment.

 

In response to questions Jo made the following points:

 

·  Regarding business premises leaving bin bags on the pavement for five or six days, wardens could examine trade waste agreements and take enforcement action where necessary.

 

·  The wardens work with all the Tenants and Residents’ Associations (TRAs) in Camberwell and would attend TRA meetings when work schedules allowed.

 

·  Some specific enforcement work to tackle dog fouling on the East Dulwich Estate would be undertaken.