Community Safety Resident Webinar: Your questions answered

The following is a summary of questions asked for the Council and Metropolitan Police’s joint webinar on crime and community safety, held in April 2025, with answers provided by the police and council below. Responses to specific questions posed will be sent directly to those who provided an email address. If you asked a question but can't see it below, please email communitysafety@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can send on a direct response.

1. POLICE VISIBILITY: When are we going to have a greater police presence on the streets? Do you have plans to reopen any of the police stations or at least the front counter services?

Response from Met Police: The front counter remains open at Chingford Police Station 24 hours a day.  There are no current plans to reopen any other police stations. The  Metropolitan Police Service’s Turnaround Plan 2023-25 committed to strengthening the Neighbourhoods policing teams to better understand local problems and to engage more closely within communities.  This includes an uplift in staffing across Neighbourhood policing which is currently underway.

2. PHONE THEFTS: What is being done to prevent and catch phone snatchers?

Response from Met Police: The police are undertaking patrols in hot spot areas at peak times to take a proactive approach towards targeting offenders whilst supporting the community. 

At transport hubs, the Metropolitan Police Service are working alongside British Transport Police and colleagues from safer transport to conduct a number of policing operations and to ensure that relevant information is shared.  Crime prevention activities continue to take place in partnership with the local authority. 

A business forum has been started and attended by partners in Leyton High Street and officers have secured the use of a Mobile police station for reporting which will be stationed across hot spot areas. There is a current Policing Operation in place where officers are attending mobile phone shops who sell mobile phone devices to ensure that the necessary checks are being completed when purchasing a mobile phone. 

The police remain committed to targeting these offences and will continue to work alongside the local authority.  These offences are discussed with plans formalised/reviewed internally at tactical tasking coordination group and externally at monthly multi-agency Problem Solving Partnership meetings.

Response from Waltham Forest Council: While the Council does not have the powers of the police to deal with criminal matters, our 12 ASB officers work within our communities engaging with and supporting residents, and gathering evidence to share with the police that will support them in taking enforcement action. This includes undertaking a series of pop-up engagement events in specific areas across the borough, such as Blackhorse road, providing crime prevention advice and support in response to increases in crime and ASB.

3. DRUGS: Drugs are a real problem in parts of our borough which can be incredibly intimidating for residents.  What’s being done about this?

Response from Met Police: The police are focused on targeting drug related activity across Waltham Forest.  To support this work, the police utilise a variety of tactics and approaches ensuring that the criminal justice system is utilised as well as safeguarding and diversion approaches where suitable. 

The policing response is supported by the Metropolitan Police Service Project Adder team who focus on establishing co-ordinated law enforcement activity, alongside diversionary programmes, to divert people away from drug-related offending. Police Officers undertake joint patrols with partners from the local authority and utilise referral mechanisms with specialist support teams such as Change Grow Live (CGL) to ensure that the necessary support is offered. 

Patrols are undertaken in hot spot areas at peak times, these are identified via crime data as well as intelligence recorded. Officers carry out both uniformed and plain clothed patrols at these locations as well utilising court warrants where applicable.  Long term policing operations remain in place across Waltham Forest where officers are dedicated to patrols in identified areas as well as utilising support, where possible from other policing and support units.  This can include the use of passive drugs dogs to support operations which have been deployed at a number of sites across Waltham Forest in recent months to target those involved in the use of/supply of drugs. 

The police remain committed to targeting these offences and will continue to work alongside the local authority.  These offences are discussed with plans formalised/reviewed internally at tactical tasking coordination group and externally at monthly multi-agency Problem Solving Partnership meetings.

Response from Waltham Forest Council: The council works closely with partners to take a multi-agency approach to addressing local drug issues, taking targeted action to reduce the number of people at risk of drug-related harms while also working with the police  in ‘hot-spot’ to gather intelligence and that will help to disrupt drug activity. We work closely with Voluntary and Community Sector partners, including local specialist service Change Grow Live to provide support and intervention for drug dependency to help support those with chaotic lives which affect them and those around them in the wider community. 

Further information of work the police and council are doing to tackle substance misuse can be found in our 'Protecting communities from harms caused by alcohol and drugs strategy' 

4. HOUSE BURGLARY: What is being done to tackle house burglaries happening in Walthamstow? 

Response from Met Police: Targeted work is undertaken across not only Walthamstow but also Waltham Forest to tackle burglary.  There a number of policing Operations currently in place across Waltham Forest to target burglary and related offences.  To support this work, there is a co-ordinated policing approach in place with teams across multiple policing strands working together. 

These activities include targeted arrest enquiries of offenders, a dedicated Burglary and Robbery investigations team (BART), dedicated patrols at identified peak times and locations by uniformed and plain clothes officers. 

Officers are working with University College London on Operation Baldegg where victims of burglary in selected wards are offered a video doorbell camera as part of a study. 

The police remain committed to targeting these offences and will continue to work alongside the local authority.  These offences are discussed with plans formalised/reviewed internally at tactical tasking coordination group and externally at monthly Problem Solving Partnership meetings.

Response from Waltham Forest Council: The council works within communities to offer support and advice to those affected crime including household burglaries. For example evidence-based advice on household security shows that by focusing on four home security measures, that involve strengthening lighting and door and window locks, residents can increase the protection of their home by up to fifty times. Further information on burglary prevention can be found here on the Neighbourhood Watch site: Burglary prevention | Neighbourhood Watch Network

5. CAR THEFT: There is a lot of car theft in the area. Are the police succeeding in catching the perpetrators? Where can we find stats on crimes being reported / perpetrators being caught etc?

Response from Met Police: Theft of and theft from motor vehicle remain a priority across the policing ward teams as well as other acquisitive crime (Burglary and robbery).  Policing operations continue to target the peak times and areas with policing operations utilising a variety of tactics.  These tactics include: plain clothed and uniformed patrols in peak locations at relevant time, traffic operations, the targeting of known offenders through arrest enquiries. 

Funding has been secured and utilised to ensure that these patrols do not impact on other policing activities.  There have been a number of arrests made across Waltham Forest involving suspects for motor vehicle related offences.  Additional information and good news are shared further at ward panel meetings. 

The police remain committed to targeting these offences and will continue to work alongside the local authority.  These offences are discussed with plans formalised/reviewed internally at tactical tasking coordination group and externally at monthly Problem Solving Partnership meetings.

All policing stats can be found here: https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/

6. GRAFFITI: What is currently being done to tackle the recent incidents of graffiti with red paint being thrown at people’s houses?

Response from Met Police:  We are aware of a number of incidents whereby addresses in the borough of Waltham Forest have been criminally damaged with red paint, These incidents are being investigated by the local Safer Neighbourhoods Team to ensure all investigative leads are explored and support is provided to the victims of these incidents.

At this stage there has been no arrest and enquiries into the circumstances continue, including to establish if there is a link to other incidents outside the local and London areas. We understand the upset that these incidents have caused and ask anyone with concerns or who has information that could assist to call police on 101 or message @MetCC on X quoting CAD 1081/19FEB. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org 

Response from Waltham Forest Council: We have engaged with the residents affected and offered support and advice around basic security measures and reporting and reassurance. Graffiti can be reported to our neighbourhood team for swift removal. This helps to maintain the cleanliness and aesthetic of our community.  Report Graffiti 

7. VAWG: Many women don’t feel safe walking around and are being harassed by men in the street. What’s being done about this?

Response from Waltham Forest Council: Waltham Forest has the Safe Streets app, a resource for reporting street harassment, including catcalling. Available to download on both iPhone and Android, the app helps the borough identify areas for targeted outreach and enforcement. Users can report concerns or seek support, either anonymously or by leaving their details for follow-up. We also have our VAWG team who deliver events and training to increase awareness. This includes our bystander intervention which is free for residents and empowers everyone to become allies to women and girls and develop the tools and strategies they need to safely challenge harmful behaviour and attitudes we see in our communities. To register your interest in our Bystander programme or any other initiatives you can contact us at community.safety@walthamforest.gov.uk 

Information on support available across the borough 

Response from Met Police: We work in partnership with Local Authority Neighbourhood Officers, MSC colleagues, Emergency Response Policing and our own Neighbourhood teams to conduct high visibility patrols in areas that have been identified by local residents as those they feel vulnerable in. We target patrols to these areas which are generally in hours of darkness. We conduct a wide range of VAWG activities to raise awareness and provide reassurance – these include our VAWG engagement stalls at football matches and community events alongside Licensing visits that publicise the Ask for Angela campaign. PC Anna Cork is leading on an initiative with Whipps Cross Hospital, working in partnership with the MPS Network of Women and NHS staff to consider options for safeguarding their staff. 

Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls is both an MPS and BCU priority and NE has seen a 22.4% reduction over the last year in VAWG violent offences. 

8. VIOLENCE: I appreciate that the Council is putting bleed kits in several locations but what are the police and council actively doing to prevent knife crime and keep young people safe?

Response from Met Police: Our officers actively patrol their wards and areas, utilising Police powers including Stop and Search. This tactic has resulted in knives being removed from the streets with arrests and charges. This is an ongoing tactic and fundamental to keeping the public safe. From a preventative aspect, officers regularly visit schools and engage with students re the dangers of knife crime and offer prevention. Operation Safer Routes, a council led police supported scheme has recently launched where volunteers patrol school routes and break down barriers with school children and youth, ensuring any relevant information is passed to police to act upon. Neighbourhood Policing Teams are regularly supported by colleagues from the Territorial Support Group and Pro-Active Syndicates with Weapons sweeps and knife arch operations, these take place on a weekly basis as standard. 

Response from Waltham Forest Council: Keeping young people safe from knife crime is one of the Council’s key missions and we’re working across partners to deliver a comprehensive package of initiatives aimed at preventing violence and exploitation. This includes new initiatives co-designed with young people, such as our new Safer Routes pilot which places trained youth workers on routes around schools to help them feel safe as they walk home. We also provide a whole range of social, emotional and practical support that we are providing alongside our community partners to young people, their families and carers in educational, community and sports settings across the borough. The provision of bleed kits is one element of this approach. They have been installed in schools, fire stations, libraries and other youth settings and can be used to stop bleeding following accidents or other medical emergencies, helping to keep people safe until paramedics arrive. Further information on the wide range of work we're involved in can be found in our 'Keeping young people safe from violence' strategy.

9. MOPEDS: What is being done to address moped delivery drivers parking on pavements and generally disregarding road safety?

Response from Met Police: Specific areas around the food venues in E17 have previously been identified and as a consequence we have delivered four Operations over the last quarter and seized over 15 illegal Mopeds/E Scooters. This is an ongoing piece of work and we are working closely with the council, especially around the CCTV aspect to identify offenders. 

Response from Waltham Forest Council: The Council and Police are aware that some moped delivery riders are parking on pavements and disregarding road safety. To address this, the council has collaborated with major delivery companies and food outlets to develop a protocol to ensure riders adhere to traffic regulations. Additionally, we are enforcing against non-compliant riders by issuing fines for breaching the Council’s Public Space Protection Order. This order prohibits moped or motorbike gatherings of three or more and driving in ways that cause harassment, alarm, distress, or annoyance.

10. CCTV: We need more CCTV to prevent crime and catch criminals. What is the council doing about this?

Response from Waltham Forest Council: We have over 1,000 CCTV cameras at locations across the borough which are informed by local crime and ASB data alongside resident insight. We have also invested over a £1 million in updating our state-of-the-art CCTV facilities which are staffed 24/7, every day of the year. Forty-two of our cameras are re-deployable so can be moved to new areas as new ASB and crime issues emerge, they are time restricted due to demand across the borough and not a permanent solution. We also have a live stream direct to the police borough control room so they can see images in real time. CCTV plays a role in tackling crime and ASB but is only one part of our much wider approach to tackling crime and ASB which includes a combination of prevention, enforcement and community-led approaches.

11. VOLUNTEERING: Can you please tell me how I can volunteer in the borough in terms of community safety? Do you provide any first aid training for residents?

Response from Waltham Forest Council: There are many local opportunities to get involved in supporting and shaping our work to prevent and respond to crime and ASB. This includes joining our Community Safety Citizens’ Panel which provides residents with an opportunity to share their local experiences of community safety and advise the council on how we can strengthen our approach. We also have our Violence Against Women Champions who are trained to raise awareness and promote a culture of safety and respect for women within our communities. If you’re interested in finding out more about these opportunities you can contact our community safety team on communitysafety@walthamforest.gov.uk 

We also have a wide range of volunteering opportunities on our Legends of the Forest webpage which includes youth mentoring, outreach and befriending opportunities.

We’d also encourage all residents to attend their local ward panel meetings where you can meet local police officers, council community safety staff and other partners to discuss crime issues and influence your ward priorities. These meetings are open to everyone and are run in each of the 22 wards every three months. Details of your next meeting and how to attend can be found here https://www.met.police.uk/area/your-area/met/waltham-forest 

Response from Met Police: If you are interested in joining our Metropolitan Police Special Constabulary you can look online.

Our MSC colleagues are invaluable in Waltham Forest and play an integral role in targeting ASB and delivering reassurance patrols – over the last two weeks the MSC teams have focused on High Street E17 foot patrol, Hoe street E17 foot patrol, High Road Leytonstone Foot patrol, reassurance patrols for Ramadan in E17 / E10 / E11, Woodford New Road, Wood Street E17, Lea Bridge Road. During these recent patrols they have targeted traffic and ASB related offences where they have issued 23 Penalties issued various contraventions from 8pm - 1am and 3 Traffic fixed penalty notices.

12. FIREWORKS: What are the Council and police doing about the fireworks shops selling fireworks to young people and being set off on the streets. And why has the Council allowed 2 fireworks shops to be set up within 20 metres of each other? 

Response from Waltham Forest Council: Before granting a licence to store fireworks, the Council consults with the London Fire Brigade, Police, and Trading Standards. The licence must be granted unless it can be demonstrated that the proposed site is unsuitable for storing fireworks or that the applicant is not a fit person to store explosives.

Licences are issued with strict conditions regarding the type and quantity of fireworks that may be stored, depending on the individual site. If there is a change in circumstances related to the storage facilities or if the licensing authority no longer considers the licensee a fit person, the licence may be revoked.

It is an offence to use fireworks in the street or in a public place unless part of an organised event. Any use of fireworks in the street should be reported to the police.

Response from Met Police: Neighbourhood teams working with licencing and the council have conducted a Licencing visit on the 24th March and have seized a large quantity of Fireworks, £40K worth. The shop owner is now facing prosecution and further licences being revoked. Trading standards are also actively involved as this is not the first breach. Ongoing licencing visits are being undertaken and strictly enforcing breaches.

13. HOUSING ASB: My housing estate is targeted by young people who congregate in stairwells often smoking marijuana and intimidating the residents. What do the police and council do to help keep people safe in their homes?

Response from Waltham Forest Council: To address anti-social behaviour (ASB) in blocks of flats, including loitering, drug misuse, and resident intimidation, the police, councils, and housing associations collaborate on the following measures:

• Joint patrols to deter misconduct and reassure residents.
• Work with Housing providers to install or upgrade CCTV for monitoring and evidence collection.  Ensuring damaged entries to secure blocks are repaired.
• Deploying detached youth workers to engage and offer diversionary activities.
• Warning and engaging individuals involved in ASB about consequences.
• Taking legal actions like Community Protection Notices (CPNs) or eviction for persistent offenders.
• Encouraging residents to report incidents and sharing updates.

Response from Met Police: Waltham Forest police hold regular Problem Solving meetings. This comprises of members from the councils Housing Dept, ASB team, through joint working NPT actively patrol the areas mentioned with partners to identify problematic venues, areas and groups. Appropriate action is then taken. For example, through joint working over the Summer and Autumn of 2024 Atlee Terrace was identified, through pro-active policing operations and joint working with the council three Closure orders were executed, five Criminal Behaviour Orders issued, and Upgrading of CCTV implemented by the Council.  Recent activity at Northwood Towers on Wood Street ward has involved a series of patrols including passive drugs dog walk through of tower block.

14. LIGHTING: How is the council improving street lighting in areas where residents feel unsafe, such as around stations and in alley ways and underpasses?

Response from Waltham Forest Council: The council remains committed to maintaining and enhancing street lighting in public spaces where residents have raised safety concerns. We continuously review lighting provisions in key locations, working with local communities to identify priorities and ensure necessary improvements. Where appropriate, we integrate lighting upgrades into broader public safety initiatives in collaboration with local partners.

Residents can report issues with street lighting on our website so our team can follow-up specific enquiries.  

15. ASB AT COLLEGES: What is being done about the anti-social behaviour among young people congregating outside colleges, blocking the pavements and taking drugs?

Response from Waltham Forest Council: To address anti-social behaviour (ASB) such as congregation, loitering, and drug misuse by college students, we work closely with the police and local Colleges to try to prevent issues before they arise

Joint patrols are conducted with College security, the ASB Team and the police in areas where concerns about ASB are raised. Based on information gathered during these patrols, the Colleges identify students involved in such activities. We engage with these students to deter further ASB, providing warnings about their behaviour and explaining the consequences of non-compliance.

Most of this work is carried out at the beginning of the term to set clear expectations. As a result, we have observed a reduction in complaints since implementing these measures.

16. LITTERING: What can be done about the increasing rubbish littered all along the streets? 

Response from Waltham Forest Council: The London Borough of Waltham Forest takes littering and fly tipping extremely seriously and tackling it is one of our highest priorities. Waltham Forest has a zero tolerance for fly tipping and has one of the highest enforcement rates nationally.  National Enforcement Statistics provided by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) show Waltham Forest carried out over 5,000 enforcement actions and issued over 3,000 fixed penalty notices for the period 2022/23, with indications that these numbers have increased significantly once up to date statistics are officially published. 

We have recently purchased a significant number of additional redeployable CCTV cameras, as part of our ongoing anti fly tipping campaign, to enable us to target fly tipping hotspots boroughwide. These cameras can be placed on lamp columns rapidly and efficiently to help deter and capture evidence to prosecute fly tippers. 

To help Waltham Forest tackle litter and fly tipping we strongly advise residents to report all fly tipping online, by following the link provided:

https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/neighbourhoods/report-neighbourhood-problems/fly-tipping-and-keeping-streets-clean/report-fly-tipping

17. ASB: I’ve reported people to the council who are engaged in aggressive begging around the tube station. Does the council actually take any enforcement action against these people? 

Response from Waltham Forest Council: The Council’s ASB officers play a key role in addressing issues like aggressive begging, providing support to individuals where needed, including working closely with our local drugs service Change Grow Live and homeless services to ensure they can access the support they need. We also take enforcement action when necessary. Over the last 12 months, our council ASB officers have issues over 380 formal warning letters to individuals engaging in nuisance behaviour such as aggressive begging or harassment and issued over 25 Community Protection Warnings or Notices that legally require individuals to stop their behaviour or face penalties. In addition we have issued over 30 premises closure orders, which often relate to drug use occurring on or around a property. 

18. CRIME DATA: Where can I find statistics on local crime trends?

Response from Met Police: Relevant policing statistics in terms of reporting, outcome rate and areas can be found via https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/  

The data covers all 12 Borough Command Units (BCUs) across the Metropolitan Police Service and can be broken down into borough, ward, offence type and detection rate.

19. REPORTING. How can we report local crime and ASB issues?

If someone is breaking the law, it must be reported to the Met Police. This includes drug use, drug dealing, criminal damage and more.  If someone is in danger or a crime is in progress, always call 999. To report a non-emergency crime, call 101 or go online at met.police.uk   

Anti-social behaviour which could include people behaving aggressively in public, large groups behaving badly, nuisance noise and other nuisance behaviours in public spaces can be reported at www.walthamforest.gov.uk/reportASB 

20. STAYING UP TO DATE. How can I keep up-to-date with the work the council and police are doing around community safety?

To hear about the work the council and partners are doing across the borough to help keep residents safe you can sign up to our monthly Community Safety News e-newsletter. 

Regular updates are also provided on the Council’s Community Safety WhatsApp channel. Search ‘Safe Streets Waltham Forest’ on WhatsApp or click here to join.