We know that crime and community safety are major issues for people who live, work and socialise in Camden.
If you've got a question about community safety you can send a message by clicking on the link below.
Every month we will post replies on this page so check back regularly. If you ask a question your name will be put into an annual prize draw with a chance to win £30 of shopping vouchers.
Due to demand we can’t promise to publish all questions and we reserve the right to edit your questions.
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Replies to previous questions can be found below. The most recent are shown first.
Q: I am concerned about the anti-social use of scooters and wondered what the council and police were doing about this growing menace.
Anonymous
The issue of anti-social behaviour caused by people on scooters and mini-motorcycles (or go-peds) has become a growing issue across the county.
Fortunately Camden is ahead of the game. We are the only local authority in London to have received funding from the government’s Respect Taskforce to tackle this kind of nuisance. This will help provide additional policing hours to deal with problems reported by our residents.
To tackle the long-term problem and prevent further anti-social behaviour we continue to run successful motor skills and Scooter Safe projects.
These innovative schemes not only teach young people responsible bike ownership and riding and bike maintenance skills, offering them a constructive way out of the downward spiral of anti-social behaviour and crime. They also educate young people about the sanctions they face if they behave irresponsibly and of the danger they are causing to themselves and the community.
We have already taken significant action to tackle this issue. In St Pancras and Somers Town Ward for example, seven warning notices were issued in one month, three scooters confiscated, visits to the homes of alleged offenders were made and parents warned of breach of tenancy agreements.
When there are issues of scooter nuisance Police and Community Support officers c patrol the area and leaflets informing young people of the penalties they face are distributed while efforts are made to encourage them to join in positive activities such as the Prince’s Trust.
The council and the police are monitoring the situation across the borough through their joint tasking meetings and will continue to tackle this issue.
More information on using scooters and mopeds safely.
Q: In being a resident in the congested area of Kentish Town, I have witnessed several occurrences of abuse and harassment towards parking attendants from drivers and members of the public. What support do the police provide to parking enforcement? What action will the police take to help reduce these occurrences of violence against those carrying out legitimate duties?
Anonymous
A: Prior to the decriminalisation of "on-street" traffic enforcement, the traditional "traffic warden" roles were managed by the relevant police authorities and to some extent enjoyed their protection against abuse and violence. In fact, many motorists saw the traffic wardens as an extension to the police force. Since decriminalisation the partnership has been made aware of violence and abuse directed towards "parking attendants" (PAs) who undertake enforcement in Camden. This also appears to have become more commonplace across England and Wales.
In 2003, The Metropolitan Police service recognised partnerships with the police and traffic enforcement companies as best practice and encouraged the adoption of similar type schemes across all London boroughs. NCP, which is the largest private car park operator and largest parking enforcement company in the country, and which manages all the PAs in Camden, has developed a new initiative called "Partnership Plus". This encapsulates the best of the partnership schemes together with support from NCP's in-house risk management team.
Camden has a "Partnership Plus" agreement between the council, the police and NCP. This has led to closer working between the three agencies. Incidents of abuse and harassment towards PAs can now be more easily reported to the police. It has led to a closer working relationship that goes broader than simply the reporting of crime. PAs can act as the "eyes and ears" on the street, can help in emergency situations and can take part in vehicle crime reduction projects. The police and local authority can train the PAs in how to report incidents of abuse and harassment as well as racism and homophobia as we are aware that some members of the public use racist or homophobic remarks towards PAs.
Using this approach we hope that PAs will develop a close working relationship with their local police officers and that mutual benefits will arise for all three partners.
Q:Please advise when you intend to clamp down and prevent the numerous drug dealers operating in Camden Town?
Anonymous
A: Camden Community Safety Partnership (which includes the council and police among others) has been focussing on the drugs issues in Camden Town for a long time, with a particular focus on class A use and dealing. The work has led to a reduction in these problems and crime fell in Camden Town by 13% between 2004 and 2005. However, there has been an ongoing issue with aggressive cannabis dealers.
The council and police (British Transport and Metropolitan Police) agreed in January 2006 a concerted campaign (above and beyond normal enforcement work) to crack down on cannabis dealing in Camden Town. The campaign is a sustained one and is multi-faceted, targeting dealers, buyers and sending out a clear message that Camden Town is not a place to buy or sell drugs. This work is supported by Camden Town's own dedicated safer neighbourhoods team.
The police and council are spending time gathering evidence so that when dealers are arrested a post-conviction ASBO can also be secured. This is added to their sentence and bans them from the act of dealing and returning to Camden, sometimes for several years. This means that they cannot start to deal again, and gives important reassurances to residents and businesses.
The police and council are also looking to use ASBOs on other cannabis dealers, who persistently offer drugs, even where no evidence of possession is found. Again it is building a case, for example using CCTV and from evidence from council street wardens. Again these ASBOs will ban the dealers from Camden Town.
The council is using all the powers it has to stop the sale of drugs paraphernalia, such as crack pipes, being sold. We have the newly formed business association's (Camden Town Unlimited) support for this, which has been important.
Businesses will also be involved in the new information campaign to warn people that Camden Town is not a place which tolerates drug selling or buying, and not to go to Camden with the express purpose of buying drugs.
By April 2006, the Partnership had already obtained 70 drug-related ASBOs in Camden Town and had closed 11 crack houses in the area. From 1 April 2006 new licensing arrangements prohibited the sale of drug related paraphernalia from shop forecourts on Camden High Street. The council is looking at using its well-being powers to prohibit shops from selling items designed for the use of illegal drugs.
The figures show the majority of arrests for drug related offences are for cannabis (around 70 per cent) and that more than half of the people arrested for buying drugs in Camden Town do not live in the borough. Unfortunately resources are finite and there cannot be a 24/7 presence on every street. Nevertheless, with this sustained pressure covering many bases, from dealers to supply we hope that this will greatly reduce the dealing in Camden Town.
Q: Is there due to be an increase in police presence around the streets as there seems to be a consensus of opinion that the return of the "local bobby" (community police constable) is only a good thing.
Barnaby Green
A: Despite recorded crime falling in Camden and the UK in general, research shows that a third of people believe crime has risen 'a lot'. To address this the Metropolitan Police have launched Safer Neighbourhoods Teams.
Camden police rolled out its first Safer Neighbourhoods Team in Gospel Oak in May 2004 and the rest of Camden’s 18 wards now have a Safer Neighbourhoods Team.
Safer Neighbourhoods is a truly local policing style; local people working with local police and partners to identify and tackle issues of concern in their neighbourhood. Each Safer Neighbourhoods team has a minimum of six uniformed officers comprising one sergeant, two constables and three police community support officers (PCSOs). This means a greater visibility on the street where people want them most.
Each team is dedicated solely to the needs of one specific neighbourhood. The team, with the community and partner agencies, tackles locally identified issues - such as quality-of-life problems like graffiti, abandoned cars, noisy neighbours, drunks and vandalism. This will also lead to an increased presence on the street.
Except for a very serious event, such as a terrorist-related event, Safer Neighbourhoods officers will stay where the public needs them most - right on their own doorsteps.
Safer Neighbourhoods panels meet regularly to discuss local community safety concerns and to decide which to address first. Local people are needed to sit on the panels. If you are interested in getting involved please contact the relevant team.
Full contact details are available at the Safer Neighbourhoods page.
Q: How does the work of the council’s Community Safety and Drugs Team fit in with the police? Nina
A: The Community Safety and Drugs Team is instrumental in pulling together the police, the council, the local health trust, voluntary and community groups to form Camden Community Safety Partnership and the Drug Action Team (a partnership that focuses on drugs). The two partnerships bring agencies together to work on the many issues linked to crime and community safety.
Each council Community Safety Officer has key crime areas and geographical areas to look after alongside a police officer. They bring together police, council and other partners to work on an identified problem through a working group and using an action plan linked to a budget.
By working in partnership we can help reduce crime and the fear of crime. For example, after a vehicle crime working group was set up their joint approach led to a reduction in vehicle crime of 46 per cent between 2002 and 2005. The King’s Cross hotspot group brought council officers who deal with street population and environmental issues together with local police beat officers to identify local problems and put solutions in place. This led to over 30 ASBOs being taken out against those people causing harassment, alarm or distress to the general public. This led to a reduction in street crime in the area of over 40 per cent.
Camden has a strong reputation for working in partnership. This has led to police and council workers sharing information through the Partnership Information Unit and regular tasking meetings. It has also led to Camden collating information to take out more ASBOs than any other London borough.
Police and council officers work together on youth diversion projects too and meet regularly to ensure that young people at risk of offending are getting the services and support they need.
The key to crime reduction and increased community safety is working in partnership to tackle a problem. The council’s Community Safety and Drugs Team has a long history of linking in with the police and other partners to provide a multi-agency response to crime. We look forward to this strong work continuing.
Q: If Street Wardens observe a crime in progress, do they have any powers of arrest other than common law? Anonymous
A: The Street Wardens do not have any powers of arrest other than those available to them under common law as any citizen. It is a non-confrontational service and does not get directly involved in situations that may be threatening or aggressive.
However street wardens do actively assist the police in other ways when they observe a crime taking place. Wardens take responsibility to report any crime and anti-social activity that they observe. Wardens will call the police, alert CCTV to ensure appropriate footage is collected for prosecution purposes, and will make a detailed report of the incident they observe which is used by police and courts as evidence. They are also instrumental in collating evidence so that ASBOs can be taken out against the most prolific offenders of anti-social behaviour.
Street wardens have regular contact with the council’s CCTV control room and can call for assistance from police or CCTV at any time. Street wardens have regular tasking meetings with police officers and the Street Services Team (SST) to share information about prolific offenders and people causing antisocial behaviour. This means the Partnership has a good grasp on who to refer into treatment and, where people are not accessing support services, who the police and council need to collate evidence on so that ASBOs can be applied for.
Street wardens are also involved in helping to foster civic pride and engage positively with communities whenever possible. They have been involved in many successful community engagement projects including walking young people to school, arranging football matches with young people and working closely with older people. The Street Warden teams have won many awards for the positive work that they do with Camden’s communities.
For more information go to the street wardens page.
Q: I was wondering why Camden doesn't have many cameras on traffic lights to deter people jumping red lights. Cars drive through the lights even after the green man has come on, signalling it safe for pedestrians to cross. They know they can get away with it (and the buses are often the worst culprits) because there are no cameras to catch them in the act.
Chloe Reeves
A: In London, red light and speed cameras are installed by the London Safety Camera Partnership. The Government has set strict criteria which has to be met before a camera can be installed. This is based on the number of serious accidents at a location in the last few years. Currently there are both speed and red light cameras in the borough but not at junctions that do not meet the accident criteria.
However, a number of changes in the way that Camera Partnerships operate are currently being considered. It is likely that the installation criteria will be relaxed which will allow more flexibility in locating cameras. It may then be possible to install a camera at a problem junction which does not meet the current accident-based criteria.
In addition, on-board cameras are fitted to buses by Transport for London (TfL) for the purpose of identifying and prosecuting drivers who park illegally in bus lanes on both TfL and Camden roads. Camden also operates a CCTV van, mainly for enforcing parking offences outside schools but it is also used by the police for community safety purposes.
We have mobile cameras in four cars which are used to enforce our new powers (which came into effect from mid-2004) covering specific moving traffic offences such as banned turns and no-entries at problem sites across the borough. These are in addition to the many fixed cameras in place for the same purpose.
We do not have the powers to enforce against speeding or red light running, although the police can do this or enforcement is carried out by fixed cameras installed by the London Safety Camera Partnership (which includes the police).
Q: How does Camden deal with people who drink in public (i.e. out on the streets or in public transport)? Roderick Moodley
A: We want people to come to Camden and enjoy a night out responsibly. With so many excellent places to go in Camden, whether it be a restaurant or bar, a club or a theatre, and most people enjoying their night out sensibly, we are pleased that people do choose to come to Camden to socialise. However, there are some people who take things too far and behave anti-socially.
If someone behaves in an anti-social manner then there is legislation to deal with it. They could be arrested for being drunk or for Public Order offences. If they are drinking outside licensed premises, unless the licensee has a licence to allow it, drinkers could be asked to go inside.
A Controlled Drinking Zone (CDZ) covers the whole borough. This means that if you're drinking alcohol from an 'open vessel' (such as a can, bottle or a cup, for example) in the CDZ then you can be asked to dispose of it, it can be confiscated or, at the highest end of the scale, you can be arrested for refusal. Controlled Drinking Zones are designed to help the police and local authority to tackle the problem of street drinking and alcohol-related anti-social behaviour. It is a discretionary tool that enables the police to swiftly deal with alcohol related problems and to make our streets safer.
Under the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 a CDZ means police will be able to remove alcohol from anyone who is carrying it on the street. The police have stressed that common sense will be used in the enforcement of these powers and that action will be enforced in situations where is it perceived that there is a potential of increased risk of violence or crime.
Within Camden the zone will continue to focus on providing support services for street drinkers while ensuring that Camden is made safer for everyone who enjoys the many attractions it has to offer.