Shepherd's Bush Police: drugs busts,"sting" bikes & dispersal zones

Reporting to residents the Safer Neighbourhoods Team for Shepherd's Bush Green reported last week on a series of high tempo initiatives that have put our local criminals firmly on the back foot, but acknowledged that the underlying causes for the increased levels of crime now affecting the Bush are not going to go away any time soon. So it was a mix of justified credit for a job well done tempered by caution about the likely levels of crime we're going to continue seeing in our neighbourhood.

On the drugs problem the police have been very busy executing a high number of drugs warrants and making what they regard as "quality arrests" in the street for supply of crack cocaine. This problem is not likely to be solved in the near future, however, for obvious reasons.

Robbery has risen slightly from a low base. High visibitility patrolling by mounted officers has helped keep it in check but it remains a concern. The police didn't say this but I have to wonder how long they'll be able to keep up mounted police patrols as the budget cuts start to bite, we now know H&F is set to take the biggest austerity cuts from the Government in our part of London.

On the bicycle crime wave we have experienced recently Officers locked a ‘sting’ bike near to Westfield and within 2 hours caught a prolific bike thief in the act of stealing it. Since then cycle crime has dipped significantly near Westfield. More such operations are planned in run up to Xmas with cycle crime becoming a priority on several wards and across the borough.

Two plainclothes operations were conducted inside Westfield to catch professional bag thieves but had no result.

The controversial Dispersal Zone has been very successful and ends 22nd Dec. A much reduced zone is already planned around the William Church Estate.

And so the battle against our evil-doers continues. At the risk of sounding like a stuck record on this I think I can speak for the vast majority of people when I say we're very grateful indeed for the efforts of the police in our neck of the woods. They come across the worst of the worst on a daily basis and do it with a great deal of professionalism. And credit also to our Council who on this issue at least are really very good. Councillor Greg Smith has been keen as Cabinet Member for Residents Services to back the Safer Neighbourhoods Teams with rhetoric but also resources - and some of the above is the result. Here's a Council vid from 2009 on crime in Shepherd's Bush: