Police and council join forces for Barnsbury blitz (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

Police and council join forces for Barnsbury blitz

July 15, 2009 3:43 PM

Cllr James Kempton and Safer Neighbourhood police team

Councillor James Kempton with the St. Mary's Ward Safer Neighbourhood police team.

Islington Council has agreed a police dispersal order during the school holidays centring on Morland Mews in Barnsbury, which is being supported by local Liberal Democrat councillors from St. Mary's Ward. But the Lib Dems have insisted that this won't be an end in itself for solving antisocial behaviour in the area, and that the council will provide targeted youth support alongside police enforcement.

There has been an ongoing problem with antisocial and criminal behaviour in the area, and police have received reports of groups of up to forty youths congregating, intimidating residents, using and dealing drugs, and causing criminal damage.

The police also received reports that children and teenagers hanging around the area were being preyed on by adult drug dealers and being recruited to committing serious crimes.

The dispersal zone will cover the Morland Mews, Milner Square, Lonsdale Square and Gibson Square area. For the six weeks of the schools holidays, police officers will be dispersing groups of young people gathered in the area.

Youth workers from the council and Islington's Safer Schools PCSOs will co-ordinate with the police to provide support for the young people - directing them to the many positive activities on offer locally, to nearby youth centres such as the White Lion Centre, and if necessary to sources of serious professional help.

Islington has one of the highest amounts of money spent on youth provision in the country. This helped to reduce youth violence by 10% in 2008 - and achieved a further 27% reduction so far this year. According to the British Crime Survey, Islington has had the biggest reduction in crime in the country over the last 5 years, with crime down 32% overall. Councillors and police are hoping that this new dispersal zone will help reduce crime and youth offending further.

Liberal Democrat councillor for St. Mary's ward James Kempton said:

"Local people have been complaining to the police about the criminal and antisocial behaviour of large groups of young people fighting, stealing, and causing criminal damage. We cannot tolerate this sort of behaviour, and we fully support the police in trying to tackle this problem, whatever it takes. Those children are also at risk of being drawn into even more serious crimes by unscrupulous adult drug dealers.

"But the dispersal zone can't be an end in itself. The council's youth service is going to coordinate with the police and provide support the young people who need it - helping them find support to deal with the underlying problems, or simply how to divert their energy into something more positive."