Almost 1,000 fines have been given out by Tower Hamlets Council’s Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers as part of a drive to tackle anti-social and unacceptable behaviour in the borough.
Latest statistics reveal that between March 2022 and May 2023, there were 14,000 hours of uniformed patrols.
This led to 800 verbal warnings, 280 written warnings, and 600 warnings specifically for anti-social behaviour (ASB).
There were also 50 seizures of nitrous oxide, and 105 fines for urinating in a public place, 85 fines for littering, 143 fines for unlicensed street trading, and 159 fines for using nitrous oxide in a public place handed out.
The latest statistics have been released ahead of Anti-Social Behaviour Week which runs from 3 July.
The council has organised events and activities to highlight how to report ASB and to encourage residents to report it.
You can see the full timetable planned on the council's website.
Residents who have reported ASB and had the problem successfully dealt with are also sharing their stories to encourage others to report it.
One resident in Bethnal Green, who asked not to be named, said they got in touch with the council after they had ongoing issues with cars parking in their residential street, playing loud music, inhaling nitrous oxide (NOX) and making lots of noise.
The resident explained: “It was annoying the whole street. I have a chronic health condition and my symptoms are worse if I don’t get enough sleep. This issue was having a negative effect on my health. There was one car which was particularly bad but if I asked them to stop they got quite aggressive.
“I emailed the council and my local councillor and they put me in touch with my ward ASB officer who put an action plan in place.
“As we had the number plate of the car, they were able to write to them and tell them to stop. We also had visits from the Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers.
“Thankfully, the car that was particularly bad hasn’t come back.
“It felt so good to be taken seriously by the council as it was having quite an impact on my life. It is reassuring to have someone to contact if it bubbles up again.”
Another resident said: “People were gathering around a monument in Poplar recreation ground in Woodstock Terrace. They were openly drinking, dealing drugs, shouting and playing loud music.
“I contacted the council’s anti-social behaviour team and the case was assigned to an ASB officer. They contacted me to discuss a plan of action and asked me to keep a diary of incidents.
“They used this information to time the patrol of Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers (THEOs) to when the people were there and also passed on the information to the Safer Neighbourhoods Team.
“Those causing anti-social behaviour were engaged by THEOs and have been driven out of the park on a couple of occasions.
“Since the Anti social team intervened, there have been no incidents to date.
“Some individuals still hang around near the monument, but nothing like the previous ones.”
Cllr Abu Talha Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, said:
“We know that ASB is an issue in large parts of our borough which is why we are committed to tackling it, investing £2.9m for additional THEOs and £1.5m for police.
“However, in order to do this we need residents to report it. Although we may not be able to respond straight away to all reports, we can use the information given to us to build up a picture of patterns of ASB, allowing us to target hot-spots and allocate resources efficiently.”
Report ASB on the council's website.
Posted on Wednesday 21st June 2023