Newsletter - October 2020
Dear Residents
Welcome to the latest newsletter from the St. Katharine and Wapping Safer Neighbourhood Ward Panel (SKW-Ward Panel) We are a non-political voluntary group working with the Police Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT), the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) and residents to make our ward a better and safer place in which to live and work.
The main issues since the last newsletter:
- Further anti-social behaviour (ASB) devlopments,
- Increase in bike thefts with thousands recovered in Hackney – see below
- Nitrous Oxide (NOX) Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) Survey
- SKW-Ward Panel walkabout with the SNT and Local Council ASB Official
- New Email for local Police Team (SNT) --CEMailbox.StKatharines_Wapping@met.police.uk
- Increase in doorstep scams – please be on your guard – see below
1) Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Issues
- Waterside Gardens and Hermitage Memorial Park, along with St Katharines Way, remain hotspots with reports of drug taking and dealing, littering and noise. We have asked the council to move a CCTV camera to provide new cover in St Katharine’s Way. Please report any car registration numbers associated with ASB and drug dealing, when safe to do so.
- There has been an increase in bike thefts in the daytime and at night from gardens and underground garages. CCTV coverage with facial recognition is being coordinated and circulated boroughwide by the Police. In Hackney, many bikes have been recovered. To check if your stolen bike has been found, call the police on 101 with your bike frame number and the CAD Number (Police Reference Number given to you when you reported the theft). If the bike has been found, it can be located and returned to you.
- We are awaiting news of when there will be another Smart Water bike marking event in conjunction with the SNT and a Community Road Watch operation involving speed guns.
- There have been reports of many scams involving extortion of money, individuals attempting to enter your apartment block on a pretext such as testing fire/lift alarms and online shopping fraud. Contact can be made by email, phone, text message, social media or calling at your home. Apply the ‘scam’ test: Seems too good to be true? Contacted out of the blue? Asked for personal details ?Money requested? Entry sought by a stranger?
2) Shadwell Basin
The action plan for Shadwell Basin is now overseen by the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Board. This has multi-agency representation, including the LBTH council, Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers (THEOs), Police, London Fire Brigade (LFB) and the Ward Panel. We are pushing to get the increased reporting of ASB here acknowledged promptly and acted on, however, mainly because of COVID the response has been disjointed from an under-resourced team. We also hope that the increased patrol presence will be better coordinated with the times of day when visitor numbers are at their greatest, in readiness for next summer.
3) Public Space Protection Order (PSPO)
A Nitrous Oxide (NOX) survey was conducted by LBTH council in September which asked residents to report if they found 5 or more nitrous oxide cannisters discarded in their neighbourhood. Data was also collected from street cleaners, parks staff and landlords from Tower Hamlets Homes (THH). Information has also been provided from agencies involved with preventing and diverting young people from substance misuse. Once the analysis of the survey results has been done, the council will consider whether a PSPO is appropriate, its geographical extent and prohibitions involved. This must be evidence-based, necessary and appropriate. If it is introduced, it is a legal requirement to have a public consultation exercise beforehand. The council does recognise this is an issue of concern to a number of residents and for that reason it is all the more important that it is thorough in its analysis and in understanding the extent of the problem and that any action is effective. We will keep you advised of developments.
4) SNT Walkabout
This was organised by SKW-Ward Panel, at the end of August with the SNT and ASB Officers. Further patrols will take place to engage with residents and monitor ASB. A 24-hour dispersal zone was put in place for most of the ward on Sept 11th following the increased reporting of ASB, so this does reaffirm the requirement to report all Crimes/ASB to the Police or Council. The SNT September Newsletter, which is on our website: www.skw-wardpanel.org, includes more information on this action and also itemises (in PDF format) reported crimes in St Katharine and Wapping, versus the borough of Tower Hamlets as a whole.
5) Speed Gun Training
As speeding traffic is still a major issue, speed gun training is being arranged for 20 police officers in the Borough. Eventually all SNTs will be trained. The Community Road Watch, which gives residents an opportunity to join these teams in areas that they want covered, will be carrying out further traffic operations in Wapping. Dates to be announced on the Ward Panel website.
6) Graffiti and Fly Posting
Please continue to report new graffiti and fly posting, giving the exact location using the link https://towerhamlets-self.achieveservice.com Report fly posting
7) Liveable Streets
This LBTH council programme aims to improve the look and feel of public spaces in the neighbourhood, make it easier, safer and more convenient to get around by foot, bike and public transport. Although work has been delayed by Covid-19, some work has started on pavement widening at junction of Kennet Street and Vaughan Way. Further information can be found here: https://talk.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lswapping
8) The Resident Development Network (RDN) was established by the Ward Panel to link developments and blocks of flats in the ward, as a way of sharing local intelligence. To date more than 50 developments have signed up. We hope to resume meetings when lockdown measures have been lifted and would encourage developments that have not already joined to contact us at:
contact@skw-wardpanel.org to arrange a meeting with you.
9) New email for SNT (Please note underscore)
St Katherine and Wapping SNT is now at: CEMailbox.StKatharines_Wapping@met.police.uk
Please do not use this email address if any urgent response is required: Use Call 999 or 101
10) REPORT ALL CRIME/ASB THAT YOU WITNESS:
Please report any crime or anti-social behaviour you witness in a timely manner to help the police and council to respond and to map the location and time of persistent problems. Go to our website www.skw-wardpanel.org/report to see the best reporting method to use. Remember, if a crime is in progress phone 999. For ASB phone 101 for the police or use one of the web links provided on our website to contact the Council or the Police online.
St. Katharine and Wapping Safer Neighbourhood Ward Panel October 2020