Police Claim They Have Made Progress Tackling Rise In Crime

Local concerns aired at packed meeting at Chiswick Town Hall

(l-r). Cllr Sam Hearn, Insp Dee O Brien, Supt Gary Taylor, Sgt Anil Sharma

There was a packed attendance at the follow-up meeting on policing at Chiswick Town Hall last Thursday night (28 March). The meeting was chaired by Torin Douglas and organised by the nine Chiswick councillors.

Supt Gary Taylor (Deputy West Area Commander) and Sgt Anil Sharma, based in Chiswick, said they had made significant inroads over the past three months, had made a number of arrests and that incidents had decreased, particularly in the Chiswick Common 'hotspot' area.

Many of those present thanked the police for their recent work but there were parents in the audience who said they had personal experience that young people were still being mugged and they were unhappy with the lack of police response or presence.

Supt Gary Taylor said that there would be 90 new police staff over the next few months into the triborough area and they could be deployed flexibly wherever needed.

He said the local policing teams, backed up by help from Operation Wolverine, and the support of Interceptor teams with high powered vehicles, had been deployed with an increased presence, and there had been positive change. Ten members of Operation Wolverine were deployed in W4 in the last seven weeks and five of them were amongst the most productive police officers in London in terms of making arrests.

Sgt Anil Sharma who is based in Chiswick, said that there had been no incidents of mugging in the Chiswick Common area for some time and he was confident that it was increased police activity between January and March that had helped. The British Transport Police had stepped up patrols at tube stations.

Successful policing had seen a major drugs dealer arrested this week, and through Operation Lindhouse, which also involved plain clothes police officers, they had identified a small group of children who were responsible for most of the attacks. They had made some positive arrests and even returned some of the mobile phones stolen. CCTV at Gunnersbury Station was being used to provide key evidence identifying one suspect and they hoped to secure a conviction.

Ten suspects had been arrested since operations began, and five convicted and the CID were investigating patterns of crime in a bit to pinpoint where criminal activity was likely to occur. The local police team had carried out a visual audit of the area and recommended that benches which faced each other be removed from Chiswick Common where youths were congregating, and the benches had now been relocated. Canopies of trees which could provide cover for criminal activity had been removed by Hounslow Council as advised by police, and a community safety camera installed on the Common. The new LED lighting along the Common gave greater lighting to the area around footpaths.

Example of a hunting knife found in Chiswick

He said the local team had been into schools, had given talks on knife crime, talked to parents, supported victims, and built up a relationship with head teachers, local councillors, and the local authority. He had updated the Information Board outside the police station. Local residents associations were invited to set up meetings with police if they wished and some had done so already.

The head teacher of Chiswick School, Laura Ellener, praised the police and said they had provided a reassuring presence for their students. She was aware of complaints about students' behaviour on buses, trains and shops. Staff were taking part in patrols and the school was taking action to ensure the students behaved well in the community.

Patrolling local tube stations

Barry Murphy, manager of Rocks Lane sports facility, said they had 1,700 young people visit on a weekly basis and it was no secret there had been unsavoury incidents. He was happy to say the crime level had gone down. He praised the local police team for their work. Chiswick was an area where privilege existed but there were children who were not able to afford to attend sporting clubs. Sport was a good grounding for discipline. He called on groups to come together to set up a programme for youths who were not able to access activities. A youth worker from Hogarth Youth Club said young people needed options that could divert them to positive activities.

Several parents raised the issue of teenagers being mugged and highlighted recent incidents. They were unhappy with the police response.

A parent said that three teenagers had been recently mugged in Turnham Green and four at Stamford Brook. The groups who were doing the mugging were known and there was no police presence in the area during the attacks. Another resident said crime was out of control and his son had been threatened and his son's best friend had been punched and stripped. A resident of Mayfield Avenue said on 16 March a friend's son had been mugged and a knife pulled. They had called 101 and were told nothing could be done until the following Monday. She was advised 999 would be the best number to call in the event of a crime.

Another man said he had been attacked by three kids last Friday night. Police officers had come to his house the following Monday and taken a statement. He did not get a crime reference number and felt it would not go anywhere.

Another resident said that his son had been mugged in Fisher's Lane but he had been told the CCTV was not working. He said local people needed to be assisting the police by watching out and even taking pictures if they spotted something suspicious.

One man said he lived near a pub which had been a known centre for drug dealing for years. People felt scared knowing the types of people drinking there. Why were the Licensing Authority and the police not doing anything?

Another resident said there had been a rash of burglaries in the Glebe Estate and asked what was being done about this. There was a discussion of other crimes being committed, including breaking into cars and bicycle thefts. Catalytic converters were being stolen from cars. Hooded youths were stealing bicycles and they knew where the cameras were and could avoid being identified. Following muggings in other areas of Chiswick, a question was asked as to whether the crime was now displaced from Chiswick Common to other areas.

Supt Gary Taylor said he did not think crime was out of control in Chiswick and police were making a significant impact. He had not heard reports of victims of muggings being stripped before. (Chiswickw4.com asked the police press office about these reports earlier in the week and was told they could not find evidence of such reports).

The meeting ended with a promise for a follow-up in three months.

Local MP Ruth Cadbury MP was present as was the leader of Hounslow Council, Steve Curran.

The follow-up meeting, as well as the previous meeting in December was organised by local councillors in response to the growing concern about increased crime. Prior to the start of the meeting a minute's silence was held for the victims of knife crime, including the death of Brentford teenager Abdirashid Mohamoud in Isleworth last week.

The meeting has been recorded by Chiswickbuzz TV and will be available shortly for viewing.

March 29, 2019