Council response

Thank you for submitting your petition to the Council requesting the installation of CCTV on Grimsby Street E1.

We are very sorry to hear about the incidents of drug dealing and the ASB that you are experiencing in your neighbourhood. We recognise the negative impact that these incidents have on your well-being and the overall quality of your neighbourhood. We want to assure you that we take these matters very seriously. We work closely in partnership with the Metropolitan Police with the aim of effectively tackling and addressing reported anti-social behaviour and criminal activity occurring within our communities across the borough of Tower Hamlets.

Tackling crime, Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and improving the quality of life for residents of the borough is a key strategic priority for the both the Council and the Police. Our aim is to ensure ASB is tackled robustly and all reported incidents of ASB we receive directly are reviewed by our ASB & Community safety team and shared with partners, including the police, to ensure appropriate and proportionate responses are put in place.

The installation of CCTV may only be considered where there is “pressing need “ and a “legitimate aim” . Therefore, any installation or deployment needs to be carefully considered, planned, and it is primarily evidence based on reported & recorded crime and ASB statistics of the area in question. We have reviewed the reported crime and ASB figures held by the Police and the Council respectively over the last 6 month period. Formal recorded statistics appear relatively low for Grimsby Street E2. We do also appreciate that there will likely be some underreporting of crime. Based on this data, the Council cannot justify the installation of permanent CCTV on Grimsby Street E2 at present, as we cannot satisfy the proportionality, collateral intrusion, and necessity assessments tests for putting a permanent camera up in this location. I am sorry I realise this is not the outcome you had hoped for.

However, in further consideration of the current described issues experienced and observed by residents and the likelihood of underreporting, we are at present exploring some options of utilising a short term deployment of mobile CCTV on Grimsby Street E2. We have liaised with our Waste Enforcement Team with regards to available mobile CCTV units that can potentially be utilised within the area, and subject to an assessment and feasibility study (i.e. on available street infrastructure where a temporary camera can be safely mounted on Grimsby Street to provide as expansive as possible coverage of the street), the intention is to install a temporary mobile CCTV unit within the next fortnight. The purpose of this unit will be predominately used to tackle the environmental crime, which we are aware has been a historic issue within Grimsby Street, as well as be jointly utilised for the detection of crime and anti-social behaviour. Subject to satisfactory assessments and feasibility study, mobile CCTV on Grimsby Street E2 will initially be deployed for a 2 month period. This deployment will be reviewed after this initial period, and an informed data led decision will be made whether the unit will remain in situ for an extended period or removed due to needs elsewhere in the borough.

It should be noted that temporary deployable CCTV units do not run on the same system as permanent fixed CCTV, and operators do not have immediate visual access 24/7. The system has to be logged into and monitored. Whilst, this can often be done, we have to weigh this up amongst other duties that operators have to undertake and would usually require notification by members of the public of incidents. Otherwise, where possible, it could be used to try to identify perpetrators of antisocial behaviour retrospectively after it has taken place.

The following other actions have also been taken in order to address the drug dealing and associated behaviour being experienced within Grimsby Street E2.

• Grimsby Street E2 is now subject to a default “localised operational tasking” for the council’s Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers (THEOs), and our Special Substance Misuse Team ( they will actively engage with individuals known to services or who we believe are using drugs) officers to patrol daily across both early and late shifts. Patrols of the area continue with both our enforcement and support teams patrolling in aim of capturing activity reported, deterring ASB and engaging with people encountered, taking action wherever possible.

• We have asked and are told that additional Police Enforcement patrols by the local Weavers Safer Neighbourhood Team have been taking place and will continue to do so. We are advised that the local police officers will take appropriate action, wherever possible, against individuals who are witnessed engaged in any criminal and/or antisocial behaviour activity encountered.

We strongly encourage residents effected by these issues to continue to report matters relating to crime drug dealing, drug use and drug related ASB activity experienced/ witnessed to the police via 101 (or 999 in emergencies) in the first instance. Alternatively, residents can also submit reports online to the police via the following link: https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/

Residents can also continue to advise us of incidents directly via the council’s online ASB reporting form on the following link: https://forms.towerhamlets.gov.uk/service/report_anti_social_behaviour. Formal reporting of such issues ensures a consistent accurate picture of the area is given, in turn helping direct both police and council resources most effectively through an intelligence led targeted approach to provide the best level of response at a local level. Reporting figures are particularly important as our process of tasking resources is guided in the main by reporting statistics, intelligence, and hotspot mapping which highlight continuing problematic areas across the borough suffering from significant ASB and crime levels.

We hope this offers some reassurance that the Council remains committed to addressing the issues within Grimsby Street E2 raised in your petition.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any further clarification.

Yours sincerely,

Moynul Ahmed
ASB & Community Safety Manager
Safer Neighbourhood Operations
Communities Directorate