Police Granted Stop And Search Powers For Chiswick And Acton

Latest measure being taken to combat rise in criminal activity

Police have been given extra powers to take action on crime in Chiswick and Acton with the extension of Stop and Search.

A Section 60 & 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (dealing with stop and search powers) has been authorised in both areas this Wednesday (6 March) in W3 and W4 postcodes.

A police statement said,"Where a section 60 has been granted, police officers have the power to stop and search individuals for offensive weapons or dangerous instruments. They may require the removal of certain items of clothing. This has been authorised by Commander Usher from 19:00hrs on the 6th March 2019 until 03:00hrs 7th March."

The issue of the use of knives in criminal activity such as muggings has been a cause for concern with a number of knifes being recovered either through searches of suspects, or hidden away. Recently in Southfield Ward, (15 February ) one of the ward officers helped Met Police Search Advisor (PolSA) Officers to conduct a thorough search of certain areas on the South Acton Estate in the South Acton Ward, for hidden knives and weapons.

PolSA teams are specially trained to find items that have been very carefully hidden from public view. Five dangerous knives were found, taken off the streets and disposed of ( images of how some of the knives were hidden in undergrowth above).

Other measures taken recently included the granting of two dispersal zones granted in January for Turnham Green and Homefields wards, under which police can order anyone they believe to be intent on criminal activity, to leave the area. The dispersal zones, which are active for 48 hours before having to be renewed, were in response to the increase in robberies in the area.

Local officers are implementing a range of both uniform and plain clothes tactics in order to tackle the issue head on and reassure the public. The issue is crime continues to cause a great deal of local concern most recently following an attack in Chiswick House on a teenager. There is anecdotal evidence of other attacks but they have not been confirmed by the police.

Chiswick Back Common has seen a number of incidents

Local officers are implementing a range of both uniform and plain clothes tactics in order reassure the public. The issue of crime continues to cause a great deal of local concern, most recently following an attack in Chiswick House on a teenager. There is anecdotal evidence of other attacks in the area but the reports have not been confirmed by the police.

Three quarters of the Chiswick residents who responded to a survey on policing three months are not confident that the police can protect them from crime, and the majority (87%) feel that their area will be a worse place to live in the next twelve months. Respondents overwhelmingly believed (95%) that police patrolling in their area would prevent crime.

Local residents can also subscribe to the OWL service to get information on crime and how to report it. OWL is a shared, secure platform for the public and local authorities to maximise the potential of NW and dozens of other schemes. OWL sends out the latest local crime alerts and provides management tools for maintaining and expanding watches.

The next meeting on the future of policing in Chiswick has been confirmed for 28 March at Chiswick Town Hall. Doors open 7.30 pm. The meeting is a follow up to that held in December, organised by the nine local councillors.

March 7, 2019