Community Safety Strategy

Plan to lower crime in Haringey
By

By Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Cllr Mark Blake

A plan to make Haringey one of the safest boroughs in London has been drawn up by the council.

The Community Safety Strategy sets out how the local authority will work with the police, communities, the voluntary sector and other groups to reduce the borough’s crime rate.

Haringey had the ninth highest level of recorded offences out of 32 London boroughs in the 12 months to February 2018, with high rates of gun and knife crime.

Youth crime is a particular problem in the borough, with 346 victims of serious youth violence in the borough during the 12 months to January 2019.

The council hopes the four-year plan will reduce levels of crime and antisocial behaviour, ensure people feel safe in their homes and in public spaces, cut reoffending rates, and ensure the public has confidence in members of the borough’s community safety partnership.

It will focus on tackling high-harm crime, domestic abuse, wider forms of violence against women and girls, and exploitation– including the ‘county lines’ drug trade.

Plans include targeting crime hotspots, working with schools to convey an anti-violence message and rolling out more CCTV cameras.

The community and safety strategy will link up with other council initiatives such as the young people at risk strategy and the borough plan.

It was approved by Haringey’s cabinet last month, and will be voted on at a full council meeting.

Cllr Mark Blake, cabinet member for communities, safety and engagement, said: “We need to look at all the council’s areas of activity across the board, in terms of planning out crime where we can, but also enforcement action in terms of particular trades and licensing.

“And we need to work with our partners– health, education and the police.”

Cllr Blake emphasised the pressing need to improve trust in the police. He said: “Haringey is at the bottom in terms of the MOPAC (The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime) survey of public confidence across the 32 London boroughs.

“I think that is something that needs to be addressed– but it won’t be addressed overnight.

“What it is going to take is all of us putting our shoulders to the wheel on the issues behind those low confidence levels.”

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