---
title: "Forest Gate Khatt ASB Initiative"
type: "pdf"
year: "2012"
canonical: "/projects/803"
---

# LONDON  COUNCILS 

# Table of Contents

- [LONDON  COUNCILS](#london-councils)
  - [saleriondon](#saleriondon)
  - [LONDON](#london)
  - [London Problem Orientated Partnerships Awards 2012](#london-problem-orientated-partnerships-awards-2012)
  - [Application form](#application-form)
  - [Details of application](#details-of-application)
  - [Contact Information](#contact-information)
- [Section 1: Summary of Application What is the Problem you have identified and are trying to solve? Describe in no more than 400 words.](#section-1-summary-of-application-what-is-the-problem-you-have-identified-and-are-trying-to-solve-describe-in-no-more-than-400-words)
- [Section 2: The SARA Process - Describe in no more than 4000 words over all 4 sections.](#section-2-the-sara-process-describe-in-no-more-than-4000-words-over-all-4-sections)
  - [Scanning:](#scanning)
  - [The identification of the demand](#the-identification-of-the-demand)
  - [What did complainants want?](#what-did-complainants-want)
  - [How we scanned the problem further](#how-we-scanned-the-problem-further)
- [LONDON  COUNCILS](#london-councils)
  - [sarfiondon](#sarfiondon)
  - [Transport for London](#transport-for-london)
  - [What was the Problem?](#what-was-the-problem)
  - [What was the Aim?](#what-was-the-aim)
  - [Analysis](#analysis)
  - [Who was affected?](#who-was-affected)
  - [Who was causing the problems?](#who-was-causing-the-problems)
  - [What was happening](#what-was-happening)
- [LONDON  COUNCILS](#london-councils)
  - [Analytical support](#analytical-support)
- [Khat Research and Best Practice](#khat-research-and-best-practice)
  - [Response:](#response)
  - [Problem and Partner Identification](#problem-and-partner-identification)
  - [Victims](#victims)
- [saleriondon](#saleriondon)
  - [LONDON COUNCILS](#london-councils)
  - [transport for London](#transport-for-london)
  - [Offenders](#offenders)
- [Location](#location)
- [LONDON  COUNCILS](#london-councils)
  - [Assessment:](#assessment)
  - [Evaluation](#evaluation)
- [LONDON  COUNCILS](#london-councils)
  - [sarfiondon](#sarfiondon)
  - [Transport for London](#transport-for-london)
  - [What we would do differently next time](#what-we-would-do-differently-next-time)
  - [Section 3: Endorsement from your OCU Commander/Business Director](#section-3-endorsement-from-your-ocu-commanderbusiness-director)
  - [Checklist for Applicants:](#checklist-for-applicants)
- [5. Have you advised all partner agencies that you are submitting an entry for your project?](#5-have-you-advised-all-partner-agencies-that-you-are-submitting-an-entry-for-your-project)

## saleriondon

## LONDON

FOUNDATION

Transport for London

## London Problem Orientated Partnerships Awards 2012

## Application form

Please ensure that you have read the guidance before completing this form. By making an application to the awards, entrants are agreeing to abide by the conditions laid out in the guidance. Please complete the following form in full, within the stated word limit and ensuring the file size is no more than 1 MB . Failure to do so will result in your entry being rejected from the competition.

Completed application forms should be e-mailed to TPHQ Mailbox - POP Awards. Or, if outside the MPS, to sarah.burrell@met.police.uk

All entries must be received by 9am on 30th March 2012. No entries will be accepted after this time/date. Any queries on the application process should be directed to Sarah Burrell (MPS POP Unit) on 0207161 0956. Any queries regarding publicity of the awards should be directed to Beverley Kassem (Media and Comms. Safer Neighbourhoods) on 02071614951.

## Details of application

Title of the project: Forest Gate Khatt ASB Initiative
Which award are you submitting this entry for (you may only enter the project for one award): Safer Communities Award

## Contact Information

Name of OCU/agency/CDRP/CSP:
Neighbourhood Crime Reduction Service (West Quadrant), Enforcement and Safety Division, London Borough of Newham.

Name of one contact person with position and/or rank (this should be one of the authors): David Johnson, Neighbourhood Crime Reduction Manager (West Quadrant), Enforcement and Safety Division, LB Newham.

Email address: david.johnson@newham.gov.uk
Full postal address: Neighbourhood Crime Reduction Service (West Quadrant, Enforcement and Safety Division, London Borough of Newham, Newham Dockside, 1000 Dockside Road, London, E16 2QU

Telephone number: 02033730376

Additional contributors:
Alistair Hudson, PS 78KF, MPS Newham, Forest Gate Safer Neighbourhood Team, 65 Woodgrange Road, London E7 0EL

Ashley Parsons, Crime Reduction Officer, Neighbourhood Crime Reduction Service (West Quadrant, Enforcement and Safety Division, London Borough of Newham, Newham Dockside, 1000 Dockside Road, London, E16 2QU

Mohamed Mohamud, ASB Officer, Crime Reduction Officer, Neighbourhood Crime Reduction Service (West Quadrant, Enforcement and Safety Division, London Borough of Newham, Newham Dockside, 1000 Dockside Road, London, E16 2QU

If known please state in which Government Office area you are located e.g. Government Office North West, Government Office London etc: Government Office London

Name of endorsing senior representatives(s):
Name of organisation, position and/or rank of endorsing senior representatives(s):
Full address of endorsing senior representatives(s)

1. Al Thomas Operations Manager, Neighbourhood Crime Reduction Service, Enforcement and Safety Division, London Borough of Newham, Newham Dockside, 1000 Dockside Road, London, E16 2QU
2. Guy Wade, Chief Inspector Newham Safer Neighbourhoods, Forest Gate Police Station, 350-360, Romford Road, Forest Gate, E7 8BS

Please tick box to indicate that all organisations involved in the project have been notified of this entry (this is to prevent duplicate entries of the same project):

# Section 1: Summary of Application What is the Problem you have identified and are trying to solve? Describe in no more than 400 words. 

Residents of Forest Gate, East London, complained to Police and London Borough of Newham (LBN) of the anti-social behaviour (ASB) caused by a large group of Somali male youths. The locations particularly affected were a side street, Vale Road, E7, and a number of residential estate blocks located within 400 m of the town centre junction of Woodgrange Road and Romford Road, E7.

Complainants said they felt intimidated by the group frequently loitering, using drugs and being rowdy and inconsiderate. Complainants said they were prevented from sleeping by the group staying late and were alarmed by the group's noise nuisance and cannabis use, and disgusted by the litter left behind.

The group were also described as chewing something - this substance was identified as khat, a natural herb, imported from East Africa, which gives an amphetamine stimulant effect. It is banned across Europe but is legal and unregulated in the UK. Khat proved to be a key feature of the group's ASB.

Local factors identified as potentially attracting the group included: several khat retail premises, numerous fast food shops, betting outlets, a night club and residential communal spaces in tower blocks offering good sightlines to the street's below.

Local housing providers confirmed that caretakers cleaning the same residential blocks where residents were complaining were frequently finding ASB litter in the stairwells - including khat detritus, drinks cans,

food wrappers, cigarettes, urine, spit stains, plus graffiti and criminal damage via spot-burning of fixtures with cigarettes.

LBN records revealed that there had been 39 ASB complaints from January 2010 to November 2010. A local partnership was formed and initial objectives focused on addressing the ASB. However, by April 2011 evidence from across the partnership began to suggest that the group were also dealing Class A drugs within the same area. It was noted that the borough's street prostitution hot spot also ran through the same area and that a significant percentage of local prostitutes were drug dependant.

It was also acknowledged that two previous initiatives had tried to resolve the same problem. Although both had achieved some measured success in identifying key perpetrators and obtaining interim Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO's), the complaints had continued. With hindsight these previous processes had suffered from not having a fully co-ordinated partnership approach and had not identified the drug dealing aspect of the group's behaviour as a key driver of the ASB.

# Section 2: The SARA Process - Describe in no more than 4000 words over all 4 sections. 

## Scanning:

## The identification of the demand

The demand came from residents in the Forest Gate area of Newham who made service requests to LBN, and the Police Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT), regarding the ASB caused by up to forty youths of Somali origin congregating on the street and in stairwells of residential blocks. Complainants were typically residents of Vale Road, E7, and several estate blocks within approximately 400 m of the junction of Woodgrange Road and Romford Road, including Forest Point, Goshawk House, Whyteville House, Donald Hunter House and 96-100 Earlham Grove. An initial partnership meeting in November 2010 collated all the available intelligence from LBN, Police and Housing partners.

The group were reported as congregating at these locations frequently, being rowdy and leaving litter, including detritus relating to khat. This is a herb stimulant imported from Somalia. It is legal in the UK. As well as chewing khat, the group were reportedly smoking cannabis, urinating, spitting, littering and causing damage to property. Residents said they felt intimidated by the group's behaviour, having to walk through them on stairwells, or past them on the public footway, to get home. Complainants also said that they and their children were being prevented from sleeping by noise nuisance and that their quality of life was being affected by the environmental degradation of the litter and urination left behind by the group. Several local bookmakers on Woodgrange Road and Romford Road reported that the group frequently loitered in their shops during the daytime, making staff and customers uncomfortable with rowdy behaviour.

## What did complainants want?

Residents and businesses wanted LBN and Police to reduce the problematic congregation. Housing providers wanted to ease demand on their caretaking teams.

## How we scanned the problem further

We immediately began liaising with partners. A regular West Quadrant Partnership meeting was set up. This included key stakeholders at the appropriate level, including LBN teams (Neighbourhood Crime Reduction, ASB investigations, Noise \& Nuisance, Street Scene Enforcement and Public Protection Officers), Police SNTs, Housing providers (both LBN-contracted Housing Associations and other Registered Social Landlords). The meeting was chaired monthly by Neighbourhood Crime Reduction and used to co-ordinate the problem solving process for this issue.

![img-0.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/12-28_london_met_forest_gate/img-0.jpeg)

# LONDON  COUNCILS 

## sarfiondon

FOUNDATION

## Transport for London

Quick comms leaflet deliveries and associated door knocking exercises at the key affected locations in Forest Gate were jointly undertaken by LBN Neighbourhood Crime Reduction, SNT officers and ASB investigators. Site visits were made with RSL caretakers to better understand the exact locations.

As perpetrators and correct addresses were identified, officers from ASB Investigations and Police SNT met with the youths and their parents at their home addresses to discuss the allegations.

LBN and Police officers also met with the owners of the three local Khat premises and discussed the impact khat was having in the local community.

CCTV images, in particular from the targeted use of high street CCTV assets (authorised by an LBN RIPA) enabled us to identify the youths, and then also reveal the Class A drug dealing that a core group was undertaking in the area. A covert operation led by the MPS Crime Squad enabled the partnership to define who were the main drug dealers in the group as well as the type and volume of drugs being sold.

ASB complainants had also described suspicious trespassing onto private land, such as front gardens, and apparent 'drop-offs' and 'pick-ups' being made by members of the group in wall crevices and rubbish bins.

## What was the Problem?

The problem was therefore defined as ASB caused in the Forest Gate area by Somali males aged 17-22 years old, and the associated drug dealing that a hard-core within the group conducted in the same area.

## What was the Aim?

The problem solving process was set up with the aim of reducing calls and complaints at Vale Rd to LBN by $25 \%$, as the problem was initially identified as ASB rather than crime. As the scanning process developed, new ASB locations were identified. The initial target date of April 2011 was later found to be unrealistic and a new target date of January $31^{\text {st }} 2012$ was set for achieving this reduction in ASB complaints. We wanted to make sure it was SMART so we used the calls for service as our baseline.

## Analysis

## Who was affected?

Residents living in the Forest Gate area of Newham - in particular at Vale Road E7 and specific estate blocks such as Forest Point, Goshawk House and Donald Hunter House.

## Who was causing the problems?

The complaints to both LBN and Police described groups of males, apparently of Somali ethnicity and around 17-22 years old, causing noise nuisance, litter, urination and intimidation.

By April 2011 evidence from across the partnership suggested that the same group were involved in dealing Class A drugs at new locations in the same vicinity, whilst also still committing the same ongoing ASB at the established locations. As this criminal activity was tracked new complainants were identified. It became apparent that the group was highly fluid, although always remaining within a definable area of Forest Gate.

## What was happening

![img-1.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/12-28_london_met_forest_gate/img-1.jpeg)

# LONDON  COUNCILS 

Transport for London

LBN records confirmed that there had been 39 individual complaints from January 2010 to $2^{\text {nd }}$ November 2010 just at Vale Road, where the group had historically congregated over several years. (There had been at least two previous attempts to address this ASB problem via 302 problem solving processes). Residents and businesses said they wanted the Police and Newham Community Safety to find a solution to the problematic youth congregation.

Several khat shops were identified in the Forest Gate area, within 2-5 minutes walk of the key locations being used by the group. Multi-agency visits were carried out during 2011 and it was established that the khat shops operated as retail outlets and social clubs.

Social Housing providers in the area confirmed that caretakers in the large blocks frequently found ASB litter in the stairwells, including khat leaves/stalks, drinks cans, food wrappers, cigarettes, cannabis bags, urination and spitting stains, some graffiti and criminal damage via spot-burning of fixtures with cigarettes. This was significantly impacting on the caretakers' cleaning schedules by requiring more frequent deep cleans of blocks' stairwells.

Police stops inside the residential estate blocks and the vicinity to Vale Rd from where complaints were being received identified individuals within the groups as males of Somali origin, aged 17-22 years old, loitering in the communal spaces in the evenings. The groups were found in possession of khat, and in proximity to considerable khat detritus on the floor, plus takeaway food wrappers and softs drinks containers. The groups were sometimes found to be excitable and behaving rowdily and often attempted to flee from the Police or provided false particulars.

## Analytical support

LBN and Police requested intelligence analysis from their analytical teams at an early stage. They were able to cross reference ASB perpetrators and associates who had been previously identified from the earlier problem solving initiatives, with the newly identified perpetrators. An association chart was produced by the analysts providing an up to date list of all identified members of the group and the identified connections between them. It was confirmed that very few members of the group lived in the Forest gate area, and that their places of residence were spread across the borough, and in some cases located outside Newham in adjacent boroughs. A number of sub-groups were identified within the wider group and these appeared to be linked by 'gatekeeper' group members who were the most prolific and most familiar to SNT police. This information was shared at the regular partnership meetings and formed the basis for joint decisions at case conferences.

In total, by February 2012, over 40 individuals within the group had been identified. All were of Somali origin and could be identified as being part of the group. This was despite numerous instances of the perpetrators giving Police false particulars and using associates or siblings names, or giving previous rather than current addresses. Following the covert crime desk surveillance operation in July 2011, eight core individuals from the group were identified as dealing in A class drugs, and these mostly corresponded with those members of the wider group who analysts had already identified as the 'gatekeepers' that linked the different sub-groups.

In addition the Analytical Teams were able to suggest the following attractions for the group congregation. These included:

- the several local premises that openly advertise and sell khat
- the numerous local fast food venues
- local betting shops on Woodgrange Rd and Romford Rd - shop staff reported that the group attempted to use these premises as all-day social clubs, spending very little money
- a night club (Club 19) on Upton Lane, near the junction with Vale Rd - CCTV data seemed to suggest a link between club patrons and the nearby group congregation on Vale Rd

- residential communal spaces in blocks close to the high street areas, where there is little surveillance and off-street spaces for social congregation, and protection from weather.


# Khat Research and Best Practice 

Research by LBN Neighbourhood Crime Reduction established that khat was legal and that khat chewing normally involved chewing socially over long periods to attain the full effects of the stimulant, and was often accompanied by drinking sugary drinks to mask the bitter taste. Intake of soft drinks obviously made it more likely that khat users would need to urinate. Frequent users may also need to significantly increase the amount of khat they chewed to achieve the same effect, thereby increasing the volume of khat detritus. Research also suggested that there may be disapproval within the Somali community of young people chewing khat, and that the group may therefore have motivation to chew in areas away from adult Somali supervision. The hypothesis developed that this group primarily met in order to socialise and chew khat, and was utilising local highway areas and residential blocks where they felt secure. The absence of alcohol use amongst the group was notable. Cannabis use was observed frequently amongst the group, often in combination with chewing khat.

Further research was conducted by LBN Neighbourhood Crime Reduction contacting several other local authorities in London and discussing their approach to ASB problems where khat had been a factor. The advice received was to tackle the behaviour and not to focus on the khat itself, as there was a lack of legislation and/or regulation for the substance itself.

It was also established that Newham had no NHS or other third sector health services offering a specialist service for khat users experiencing related mental health or addiction problems.

## Response:

## Problem and Partner Identification

LBN and Forest Gate South Police SNT identified one another as the main partners and agreed that Newham's Enforcement and Safety Service would take the lead on coordinating a problem solving process. Housing partners were also identified for specific blocks, including Swan Housing Association (re. Forest Point, Whyteville House \& 96-100 Earlham Grove - which are all LBN owned and managed by Swan under a PFI contract), Stadium Housing (re. Goshawk House, where many of the residents had English as a second language) and UNITE (re. Donald Hunter House, which provided accommodation for students). The housing partners reported complaints from residents who were intimidated and disturbed at night by the groups. However, it was also felt that some under-reporting may be taking place due to residents not feeling confident about how to report problems. Housing partners said they were also being affected by the extra cleaning costs relating to the mess left behind by the group and some costs relating to criminal damage in communal areas.
We were fortunate that our ASB Officer was of Somali origin as this enabled us to get a cultural perspective regarding the impact of Khatt and a wider perspective of the community as a whole. It became an invaluable resource when we met with the offenders, parents and guardians as this enabled any language barriers to be removed as well as provided a positive role model from a partnership perspective

The problem solving initiative was divided into Victims, Offenders and Locations.

## Victims

As the research informed us that all victims were local residents we needed to encourage them to give us

# saleriondon 

## LONDON COUNCILS

## transport for London

as much information as possible, and to impress on them that we took their concerns seriously and were going to make improvements.

All victims that had registered their concerns to either LBN or the Police were discreetly contacted to ensure their experience was recorded. It further enabled us to build our intelligence of the group as well as provided us with evidence for potential Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs), ASBOs or injunctions. These visits and contacts were used as opportunities to reassure residents that their concerns were being treated seriously and to update them on our progress.

Several door-knocking exercises were carried out jointly by Police and Council in 2011 to engage the affected residential and high street areas and to engage with sections of the community who did not know how to raise their concerns or who had perhaps given up on reporting. Several residents were initially too scared to speak with officers at the door due to fear of reprisals, but later agreed to meet at neutral venues with officers in plain clothes. This process enabled community reassurance, allowed new witnesses to be identified and further community impact statements to be taken. It also allowed related ASB problems to be better appreciated. For example, on Vale Road, door knocking revealed that many residents were equally concerned about the environmental ASB issues on their street. Residents stated that several bins, located close to where the ASB group congregated, were always overflowing and attracting fly tips. Further discussions with witnesses and analysis by LBN Street Scene Enforcement confirmed that the trade waste bin at the location was not allocated to any business - it also appeared to be frequently used as a drug-stash location by the group It was felt that 'Broken Window Theory' may be playing a part in the location's attractiveness for ASB. The trade waste bin was subsequently removed and the flats that stored their nearby wheelie bins on the street were switched over to a time-banded LBN waste collection system. This removed all the bins that Vale Rd residents had reported as being such a significant part of the street's ASB.

## Offenders

In the early stages of the process LBN Youth outreach workers were deployed to the known congregation points in Forest Gate to try and signpost the group to nearby youth services, but the group's members rarely engaged.

Forest Gate South SNT led the partnership's enforcement focus, at times supported by the LBN-funded Section 92 Police Officers. Regular patrols were made to the identified ASB locations to stop and identify the perpetrators and build up sufficient evidence of the impact of their actions. Perpetrators frequently attempted to give false particulars, so developing local Police knowledge of individuals' faces and their real names became vital.

The LBN CCTV control room was tasked to monitor the area, initially under a RIPA allowing key perpetrators to be tracked. Once the RIPA was closed (after the criminal core of the group had been arrested) the key identified ASB areas, including Vale Rd, remained under standard LBN town centre CCTV surveillance and valuable footage was subsequently obtained. RSL CCTV of activity in estates and blocks was also reviewed, with valuable footage obtained from a new CCTV system installed at Goshawk House. Around 60 hours of CCTV footage from both LBN and RSL sources was viewed by the Police SNT and LBN Crime Reduction team during 2011. Local Police knowledge allowed frequent confirmed facial recognition and facilitated Police witness statements that linked individual acts of ASB to identified members of the group.

Case conferencing meetings were set up by LBN ASB Investigations and the SNT to agree individual plans of action for perpetrators. 33 members of the group were assessed as requiring case conferencing. These individuals were then either issued formal warnings by LBN or invited to interview by ASB investigations officers and made an offer to voluntarily sign an Acceptable Behaviour Order (ABC). Parents/guardians were also invited to attend interviews, and where appropriate parents were also

shown the locations, by officers, at which their children had been causing ASB to local residents - in one case the parent was then able to identify several names from the group's graffiti tags on a wall. Most of the nominals' parents attended interview, though many nominals did not, and parents generally supported LBN and Police action to curb the ASB. Parents/guardians were fully advised of the potential impacts of the ASB on social housing tenancies.

Where ABCs were not signed ASB enforcement work progressed to the next stage. In January 2012 six interim ASBOs were granted to LBN. A full hearing for those ASBO applications is scheduled for April 2012. A further four ASBO applications are currently being prepared by LBN for submission to court.

Partnership suspicions about the group having links to drug dealing were followed up by a RIPA application made by the Council and implemented in May 2011. This allowed targeted surveillance which identified drug dealing at a new on-street location in the same vicinity. Police mounted a test purchasing operation with undercover units.

This led to a multi-agency operation in July 2011 which targeted the eight identified drug dealers within the group as well as a number of premises of concern, including the khat premises. This led to a high visibility street operation, involving over 100 Police and LBN officers, in which seven of the group were arrested, charged and then held on remand for supply of crack cocaine and heroin. They were found guilty and sentenced to between 1-3 years in prison in January 2012. Applications for post-conviction ASBOs have been submitted and hearings are due to take place in April 2012. This successfully removed the core criminal element of the group.

# Location 

Police patrols have included visits to the khat shops and confirmed sighting a number of known ASB perpetrators from the group inside the premises. The Khat premises were then subjected to regular regulatory checks by LBN Officers. The focus was to ensure these premises operated in compliance with legislation and to ensure the owners were fully aware that the activities of their clients had consequences. Regulatory enforcement included: checks on disposal of their Trade Waste by LBN Street Scene Enforcement team; khat samples being obtained and test for microbiological contamination (e.g. salmonella) by LBN Food Safety; a formal warning being issued to one khat shop by LBN Food Safety for allowing the ASB group's members to smoke cigarettes inside; HMRC's Hidden Economy Unit running checks on the khat shop's tax returns. One of the khat premises was raided as part of the July 2011 drugs operation as their premises had been implicated during the preceding surveillance operation. Another of the khat premises closed down permanently around the same time.

This focus led to the two remaining khat premises engaging in a positive conversation with the LBN with regard to working to ensure their premises were compliant and also regarding individuals who used their premises. It is likely that further engagement with the khat shops will include a negotiation around not allowing off-sales of khat to identified ASB perpetrators who have signed ABCs or who are subject to ASBOs.

Throughout 2011 LBN has liaised with the local housing providers regarding their sites. Design-out options, such as anti-sit railings on a wall, extra CCTV cameras, replacement front doors, and secure fob-entry systems, have been discussed for several of the affected locations. UNITE has recently invested in higher railings for the entire perimeter around Donald Hunter House, and has upgraded the main pedestrian gate access to an electronic fob entry. Stadium Housing Association has invested in installing a new CCTV system at Goshawk House and has replaced the main communal front door after repeated incidents of criminal damage, at least one of which was directly linked on CCTV to the ASB group. London \& Quadrant Housing Association is currently taking Police crime-prevention-by-design advice on how to best invest in improvements at the front of their affected block on Vale Rd, where a front garden wall has repeatedly attracted group congregation and where a blind spot to the nearest LBN

![img-2.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/12-28_london_met_forest_gate/img-2.jpeg)

# LONDON  COUNCILS 

Transport for London

CCTV unit has repeatedly been exploited by members of the group. LBN itself has prioritised investment during 2012/13 by adding secure fob entry system to the affected LBN owned blocks at 96-100 Earlham Grove, where the stairwells are currently open access from the street. Swan Housing Association is due to improve the CCTV monitoring procedures for Forest Point and Whyteville House.

Further environmental improvements are underway on the public highway adjacent to the areas affected by ASB. A previously unlit alleyway to the rear of Forest Point tower, which had been raised as a location for problematic congregation by Swan Housing and Police, has had three new lamp columns installed in March 2012 with CDRP funding obtained through a bid by LBN Crime Reduction.

LBN and Police have also recently met with all local housing providers and agreed new CCTV protocols for: the future provision of CCTV evidence relating to ASB in their communal spaces; providing accompanying statements with CCTV discs; ensuring all staff are properly trained; ensuring that regular checks are carried out on all CCTV systems to ensure they are functioning and recording correctly.

The local fast food venues and other commercial premises have also been subject to consistent regulatory checks by LBN, with joint visits made by UKBA, Trading Standards, Food Safety and Planning Enforcement.

LBN also invested $£ 17,000$ in leasing 62 AlertBox units to shops on Woodgrange Rd as a means of allowing shops to warn each other, and request assistance, in relation to ASB. This project launched in February 2011 and has aimed to make the shop staff feel less vulnerable to aggressive or suspicious individuals or ASB groups.

LBN Street Scene Enforcement has worked closely with LBN Cleansing to improve the environment on Vale Rd, which was previously a fly tipping hot spot. Several on-street bins have been removed.

## Assessment:

## Evaluation

Analysis of ASB complaints received by LBN believed to be related to this group across the defined area of Forest Gate and received by Newham Council, show a 22\% reduction over the period January 2010 to February 2012. NB. It was felt appropriate to widen the area being considered beyond just Vale Rd (the original baseline area), as the ASB problem and group's activities clearly extended beyond Vale Rd to include approximately nine other locations in Forest Gate. This $22 \%$ reduction in relevant ASB reports breaks down as follows:

- 01 January 2010 to 02 November 2010 (305 days or 43.57 weeks)
- During which there were a total of 89 service records at a rate of 2.04 per week.
- 03 November 2010 to 03 September 2011 (305 days or 43.57 weeks)
- During which there were 71 service records at a rate of 1.63 per week.
- 04 September to 29 February 2012 (179 days or 25.57 weeks)
- During which there were 41 service records at a rate of 1.60 per week.

There has been a very significant reduction in Police SNT sightings of the group since the interim ASBO orders were obtained January 2012. (The full ASBO hearings are due in April.) Housing providers report

![img-3.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/12-28_london_met_forest_gate/img-3.jpeg)

# LONDON  COUNCILS 

## sarfiondon

FOUNDATION

## Transport for London

no further ASB congregation incidents on stairwells since December 2011 and caretaker reports shown a significant reduction in frequency and volume of khat detritus since January 2012. Key repeat complainants at Vale Rd have consistently reported that ASB has stopped or been negligible since December 2011.

## What we would do differently next time

The work continues as the problem is not yet resolved. However we would: agree CCTV protocols with housing providers earlier to make evidence provision more effective and to reduce playback time for officers; seek earlier interventions with home visits to perpetrators by ASB investigators and Police officers, involving parents/guardians as quickly as possible; request more consistent caretaker reporting systems for each housing provider - the group's distinctive khat litter has proved to be an effective means of tracking their activity around Forest Gate, and the caretaking data would make another useful baseline against which to measure our overall impact.

We initiate the current discussions with Newham Heath and Drug services earlier, to consider services for Khatt users which according to European and US guidance has addictive links similar to drug misuse.

We initiate the current discussions the Home Office earlier with regards to the legality of Khatt (due to its amphetamine as well as links to ASB and crime) in the UK. Clearer guidance is needed with regards to its regulatory guidelines. This is currently an underground economy that is unregulated in terms of Tax or Food Safety.

We set up a positive engagement processes with the families of Somali origin who appear to be reluctant to engage or have little knowledge of the support available from agencies, rather than choosing to try to deal youth related issues within the community.

## Section 3: Endorsement from your OCU Commander/Business Director

Supporting comments: The initiative has demonstrated very clearly the model that we strive for in Newham. A strong partnership across ourselves, Police and other stakeholders. It is well led, with sound co-ordination and innovative problem solving processes that sought to address key issues in our communities. Not only did this tackle long standing ASB problems in this part of the borough it was also demonstrated their flexibility and response to address a key crime hotspot by the removal of a drug dealing group.

Name: Nick Bracken
Rank/Role: Divisional Director, Enforcement \& Safety, LB of Newham
Contact Telephone: 02033731995
Date: 30.03.2012

## Checklist for Applicants:

1. Have you read the process and application form guidance?
2. Have you clearly shown which award you are entering for on Page 1?
3. Have you completed all sections of the application form in full including the endorsement from a senior representative?
4. Have you checked that your entry addresses all aspects of the judging criteria?

# 5. Have you advised all partner agencies that you are submitting an entry for your project? 

6. Have you adhered to the formatting requirements within the guidance?
7. Have you checked whether there are any reasons why your project should not be publicised to other police forces, partner agencies and the general public?

Once you are satisfied that you have completed your application form in full please email it to TPHQ Mailbox - POP Awards