Differing Views Emerge on Chiswick's Crime Problem

Councillors call for creation of council funded law enforcement team

A member of a council enforcement team on Shepherd's Bush Green. Picture: LBHF

August 30, 2023

National attention on crime in the area has continued this week with the Times now picking up on earlier coverage in the Daily Mail which used the term ‘Fortress Chiswick’.

The spotlight has fallen on the area following the robbery of broadcaster Aled Jones in which he was threatened by a teenager with a machete. This occurred at the same time as a sudden surge in shoplifting on the High Road and just after a spate of mobile phone robberies often involving school children.

Conservative councillors in Chiswick are now calling on the council to institute a Law Enforcement Team, similar to that operated by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF). However, an increasing number of local business people are now saying they are worried that there is a danger that a growing and inaccurate reputation for Chiswick as a crime hot spot may actually harm their trade more than any losses from theft with the reality being that the problem is normally less acute here than in other parts of London.

The opposition group says it has arranged meetings with the council to discuss the creation of a dedicated Law Enforcement Team, a uniformed group of council officers. The LBHF unit has 70 staff who do not have the power of arrest but are a visible law enforcement presence and work in cooperation with Met Police officers. The team has been credited with reducing the presence of street drinkers and drug users in the Shepherd’s Bush Green area but some locals say that the problem has simply been dispersed into nearby local residential streets.

The councillors say that the team could patrol Chiswick High Road, Turnham Green Terrace and other ‘hotspot’ areas, and that officers would have the power to issue fixed penalty notices for anti-social behaviour, report abandoned bikes for removal, enforce public space protection orders and obtain the name and address of offenders to coordinate with police officers. Law Enforcement Officers would also be issued with body-cameras.

“The London borough of Hounslow has had an ineffective response to crime and anti-social behaviour so far, especially with regards to the recent surge in shoplifting and violence, particularly in Chiswick,” said John Todd, Conservative councillor for Chiswick Homefields and a former police officer. “Both anecdotal conversations with shopkeepers and local crime stats show that the current provisions for enforcing the law in the borough of Hounslow are not effective, so we need to look at additional measures to keep residents and businesses safe. Hounslow already has an enforcement team that deals with litter, predominantly in Hounslow town centre – it’s time to replace these officers with a team that emulates the success of Hammersmith’s Law Enforcement Team.”

In addition to calling for a new enforcement team to protect local businesses, Chiswick councillors say they have been working with police teams and shop owners to improve visible police presence on the High Road. A meeting has also been organised for traders to discuss local crime.

“I have spent the last few days visiting Chiswick's retailers and almost all of them have tales to tell of shoplifting, theft of mobile phones from customers or staff, burglary and more,” said Joanna Biddolph, Conservative councillor for Chiswick Gunnersbury. “The Chiswick Shops Task Force has organised a meeting specifically for traders with the local police team and others to discuss policing and enforcement from their perspective. Everyone concerned knows this is a complex issue. Whenever I report incidents to our police team and council officers, they respond and act with appropriate sensitivity, keen to refer troubled people to mental health and other support services as well as deal with the crime. But it’s clear more could be done and that our police team and council officers need more support."

Councillors have also taken action on violent crime and drug dealing in areas away from retail locations: Chiswick Homefields Councillors have requested new CCTV provisions on the walkway between Barnes Bridge and Chiswick Station, whilst Conservative councillors have also called for a review of how the council enforces anti-social behaviour laws after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found that councils are frequently failing to use their powers to tackle anti-social behaviour.

As well as the high-profile robbery of a TV personality, attention has focused on the significant increase in shoplifting that has occurred in the area recently. Krishna of Whistles on the High Road said that, while the issue has always been endemic, it has become more frequent with drug users coming in and taking a handful of items. As a result, the store has been forced to operate a locked door policy along with a number of others in the area including the optician Maverick and Wolf.

Figures from the Met Police show that reported offences of theft in Chiswick Gunnersbury ward, in which most of the High Road is situated, were in the range of 10-20 a month before the pandemic during which they fell. A large proportion of shoplifting offences are not reported but the police believe these figures show that Chiswick has less shoplifting than many other town centres within the borough and across London. Once lockdown ended the number of offences seem to return to its normal range until this July when it suddenly shot up to 46.

Local officers believe that this surge in offences was partly due to the activities of one prolific offender. She was detained on 9 August after allegedly taking items from Boots on the High Road. Later in the month she was back in the area but was spotted by a local PCSO and arrested again. Drug users who are arrested for shoplifting are generally not given custodial sentences. It is believed that they are told by criminal gangs which products to steal and are then paid a fraction of their worth.

While concern remains high about the problem of theft among local traders, there is growing concern about possible reputational damage to the area due to the negative press coverage which some feel will discourage potential customers from visiting.

One manager of a local shop said, “While theft is a pain and maybe getting a bit worse, I fear headlines like ‘Fortress Chiswick’ in the national press is going to lose us more in business as it is a PR nightmare for the area. I see the figures from our other stores and we don’t suffer particularly badly from shoplifting losses compared to other parts of London.

“I also an extremely wary of a team of borough Law Enforcement Officers. Hounslow always concentrate resources in other town centres so, if anything, they may serve to increase shoplifting on the High Road by the thieves being displaced in our direction.”

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said, “We understand shoplifting is a ward priority in Chiswick and we are striving to tackle this for businesses and local residents. Safer Neighbourhoods Teams, right across west London, regularly conduct proactive and reactive patrols along with many pre planned operations.

“Chiswick Safer Neighbourhoods Team are working hard to keep retailers and the public safe when visiting the area. Dedicated ward officers are engaging with local retailers to raise awareness on retail-related crime, providing crime prevention advice and encouraging crime reporting so offenders are identified and brought to justice.”

Leader of Hounslow Council, Councillor Shantanu Rajawat said, “We understand the concerns of business owners in Chiswick and recognise the need for swift action from the Metropolitan Police to tackle any spikes in criminal offences that arise in the borough.

“Our Safer Communities team work in close partnership with the Met to identify and address specific issues affecting our communities in their neighbourhoods and to provide access to the Council’s state of the art CCTV network to support investigations. The Council welcomes the Met’s decision to increase the presence of officers in the Chiswick area and to engage with the business community.

“As a Council we have renewed our commitment to funding a dedicated Hounslow police team for a further three years. This will help to ensure the team of officers can work proactively with our communities to identify emerging issues and crime hotspots, deploying additional resources with full police powers to areas in need. Hounslow is a low crime borough but we remain committed to ensuring everyone feels safe and secure by reducing opportunities for crime.”