Local Restaurant Latest Target Of Chiswick Crime Spree

Residents intervene during incident at Strand on the Green eatery Annie's

A group of residents in Magnolia Road came to the rescue and apprehended intruders at Annie's restaurant at Strand on the Green, until police arrived.

The incident is the latest in what residents are describing as 'a crime spree' in Chiswick in which businesses and homes have been targeted in the past few weeks. Locals are now calling for a public meeting, the installation of CCTV and police action to curb the increase in crime.

A rise in anti-social behaviour outside coffee shops and takeaways has been reported by residents on Chiswick High Road.

In the latest incident to affect the Strand on the Green area, yesterday (Tuesday, September 5th), at around 7am, a neighbour heard a glass window being smashed at Annie's restaurant. The neighbour ran out and started to yell for help saying that there was a burglar in the property.

Other neighbours ran out and one of them grabbed a female suspect and managed to hang on to her. Other neighbours (two women and another man) went to help restrain her and her suspected accomplice. Residents said the police arrived about twenty minutes later, which one local complained seemed like a long time for a response.

The owner of Annie's, Lorraine Angliss, who lives nearby, was also on the scene and described it as 'very disturbing'.

A growing number of break-ins, snatches by moped riders, and general incidents of anti-social behaviour have been reported in recent weeks, both at Strand on the Green and along Chiswick High Road. It comes months after a previous bout of anti-social behaviour and criminal incidents at Chiswick Back Common and at a time when Chiswick Police Station is reported to be on a list for closure.

Just down the road from Annie's, the staff at The Coffee Traveller are still seeking the return of a stolen Ford Transit van which was taken while parked at Oliver Close, around the corner from their cafe. The cafe tweeted 'Please help us locate & recover our back up vehicle & all its contents, which we use for events & weekend markets! Machines, grinders etc'.

Other incidents in the past few weeks including the front windows of Hammond's Butchers on Kew Bridge being smashed twice in a fortnight, and there were also reports of a coffee shop on Kew Bridge being raided.

The broken shop door at Hammond's

The postmistress at Strand on the Green post office, Mrs. Joshi, is recovering from the fright of hearing her front windows being smashed by raiders as reported by Chiswickw4.com. Added to that was the attempted raid on Busby's pharmacy in Grove Park.

Hounslow Police Chief Inspector Wayne Mathews, said that police had responded to five out of those nine incidents reported on Chiswick High Road since June. Police did not attend for the other four as the individuals concerned left whilst the caller was on the line to police and cancelled police coming.

Eight of the incidents involved anti-social behaviour, with youths throwing food around and at members of the public and entering shops from which they are banned. The LBH Police team have been drafted in to better support the policing response.

He said that images of the youths involved are being collated and these are being circulated to the emergency response teams for their information and proactive patrolling Hammersmith officers, who are operationally based near to the location for an enhanced presence and faster response times, are now aware of the situation. Schools officers are working to identify the youths and engage with them in Partnership with schools

Other measures being considered include a Dispersal Zone and enhanced coverage by CCTV.

"Please be assured that police never fail to attend. There may be times when our arrival is delayed by other, more urgent matters, but we will always attend. We take every incident reported to us very seriously and do everything possible to support our community and fulfil our primary aim, which is to protect and serve the people of London," he said.

Councillor John Todd, who raised the matter said, "I'm grateful to Chief Inspector Matthews for his diligent review of a number of worrying incidents in Chiswick High Road and nearby.

"I have spoken to the LBH police team and have seen a higher police presence in the High Road.

"We will continue to monitor this matter and ask Inspector Shard to update us at the Chiswick Area Forum."

September 6, 2017