Petition details
Drug dealing, drug abuse and antisocial behaviour in and around Cambridge Heath station
We are petitioning to complain about the increasing drug
dealing, drug abuse and antisocial behaviour in and around
Cambridge Heath Station.
For years now many of the under signed have raised to the police
and other local services the difficulty of raising families in an
environment that is dangerous and aggressive and poses a threat to
local residents.
Drug dealing in plain day light and during school hours has become
rampant.
The area has two primary Schools (Bonner and St Elizabeth) whose
families and children are continuously exposed to undesirable role
modelling and aggressive behaviour.
Further more the high concentration day and night of rough sleepers
that can not secure a space in the Hostel means that they tag tail
residents into their buildings making them dirty and hugely
insecure with many of them using our houses as toilets and engaging
in theft (as you maybe able to confirm with the many complaints
raised with the local police, local authority and housing
association Peabody).
In the hours of darkness the area is incredibly unsafe with groups
of drug abusers and drug dealers parked or stationed outside the
station and the Co op supermarket and adjacent streets making it
really challenging for all to walk around alone.
In one isolated incident a bunch of 14 year old kids from the
neighbourhood were chased by drug dealers and they had to seek
shelter at the Metropolis night club, evidence of this was raised
to the police.
This Petition ran from 05/09/2022 to 04/11/2022 and has now finished.
64 people signed this Petition.
Council response
Thank you for attending Full Council on Wednesday 5 October 2022 to
present your petition. I am very sorry to hear that your quality of
life is being impacted by the anti-social behaviour and drug
dealing in your neighbourhood. I am providing a written response as
requested by Council. I have also brought your petition to the
attention of the Borough Commander as it also requires a policing
response.
Edward Gibbons House is a commissioned service by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for people who are homeless and have a substance and/or alcohol dependency. The service provides accommodation and support to 35 residents and provides a safe home, employment, training, healthcare and social care support as well as access to treatment services. The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission and was rated as Outstanding when it was last inspected on the 13 January 2021.
However, whilst the people are receiving treatment for addiction, there are times of relapse which can attract drug dealers and other problematic users to the area. We have developed a multi-agency action plan for the area, including increasing both Council and Police uniformed presence in the area. Officers have advised that whilst some of the people being stopped are from the Hostel, others are from elsewhere. Enforcement action is being taken against certain individuals who are also encouraged to take up treatment.
Included within the action plan is working with the hostel to address the behaviour of some of their residents. Hostel staff are patrolling and challenging unacceptable behaviour when conducting their own patrols. Where hostel residents are identified as being a problem, and where warnings are not adhered to, action has been taken by the hostel within the framework of their tenancy. In recent weeks, a resident known for causing issues in the area, has been evicted and another is facing court for eviction proceedings. The hostel has been able to use photographs and information received by neighbours in proceedings and to challenge residents.
The Action Plan has also included Council and Police Officers
being tasked to the areas around the hostel and Cambridge Heath
Station and working with British Transport Police to try and
prevent people using the train to visit the area for the purpose of
crime i.e. drug dealing and using.
The patrols have included the area around the two local schools,
which I agree is particularly concerning. We have visited both
Bonner and St. Elizabeth schools that you refer to and another
junior school in the area. Further enhanced patrols are being
conducted throughout the day and evenings to deter crime and
anti-social behaviour and bring reassurance to the community.
I have asked Council Officers to update local residents with a letter explaining what actions have been completed and how residents can report issues to the authorities and directly to the Edward Gibbons House management.
I hope this clarifies the action the Council has taken at this point in response to the anti-social behaviour and drug dealing in your area. You have my assurance that the area will remain a focus for our continued multi-agency work for the immediate future. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any further clarification
Yours sincerely
Denise Radley
Corporate Director of Health, Adults and Community & Deputy
Chief Executive