High Street SNT Ward Panel MINUTES 8th January 2025

Meeting held at Walthamstow Central Library

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Attendees:

• Philip Herlihy (Chair)
• Sgt Dan Bray
• A/Sgt Riz Azad
• PC Roy Dunsford
• PC Maryam Mirza
• PCSO Mo Aylas
• Jason Bell (Neighbourhoods)
• Zoe Archer-Brown (Community Safety Team)
• Martin Griffiths (CPRA)
• Mo Yusuf (Essex Close)
• Vicky Grandon
• Cllr Raj Anwar

Apologies for Absence

• Helen Jackson
• Ana Figueira
• Jacquie Sheehy
• Sebastian Mann (WF Echo)
• Alan Smith (CPRA)
• Tommy Anderson

Introduction

• Meeting guidelines were shared
• Minutes - Mo Aylas was 'volunteered' again.

Actions & Matters Arising

• Zoe described the "Safe Routes" initiative in which trained youth workers supervise main routes to and from schools. Two years funding for this, potentially extended if the scheme is a success.

Police Report & discussion

• Staffing: Kazim has an attachment to the "fugitive" team. A new PCSO is arriving today, with another next week, nominally for the St James team, but interworking with High Street.
• Crime stats for last 4 weeks:
  • Robberies: 5 Business robberies around the High Street. mainly targeting café and stealing petty cash and food. Op Chancellorville funding overtime - targets drugs, robbery, retail patrols. 0 Personal robberies reported in this period.
  • Burglary: 5 Commercial burglaries, 1 residential. One arrest.
  • Theft: 27 thefts on the high street. Of these, 14 were theft of a mobile phone. Plain-clothes specials have stopped a few targeted phone thefts around Blackhorse Road, but "target hardening" may be the best tactic. HighSt/Hoe St junction bad; also St James tube. One big arrest by the high street team from Tesco in Leyton who has been targeting them and has stolen over 3k worth of stock in a matter of months. Gangs operating on the high street targeting vulnerable people Robin and Roy have been doing plain-clothes operations to target these gangs 1 has been arrested and sent to prison. Banks have also been told to try and get the windows frosted to stop people from looking in to target people taking out large amounts of cash. Caught female who stole £1k cash from Santander user; sentenced to 30 weeks & must repay £500.  Roy's account of work being done to catch "follow off" from banks. Recent overtime does seem to have delivered results.
  • Motor Vehicles: 4 theft from MV; 5 theft of MV. Suspect in mind for the car window smashing - waiting for forensics.  Not many calls now coming in. Believed malicious rather than motivated by theft.  May be one person; likely to be very few. 1 other arrest on the High Street. One arrested for wing-mirrors damage; confessed. Another arrested for posession of offensive weapon, going equipped & possession of cocaine.
  • Sexual offences: 1 report of rape; 1 other offence. High Street team don't currently have further details but would have been proactively notified had this been a 'stranger rape'.
  • VAWG (Violence against Women & Girls) 7 reports, including 3 assesssed as 'domestic'. Previous period had 17 reports.
  • Drug offences: new reporting system shows only one report (possession). This is believed to be inaccurate, and due to the bedding-in of an unfamiliar new system.
  • ASB: 16 reports of "nuisance". 2 cannabis 'factories' shut down by the High Street team: one on High Street and on in Tenby Court. Joint patrols with Council officers believed to be making a significant impact.

Any Other Business

• Discussion of how to promote the effective work being done by the High Street team, noting that Waltham Forest historically has a higher level of "fear of crime" than other boroughs with comparable crime levels.
• Noted that online reporting via the website met.police.uk and via direct Twitter/X message to @MetCCC can be time-efficient and still produce a timely response.
• Discussion of a perceived increase in unsafe and inconsiderate cycling, very much to the detriment of pedestrians who may have mobility limitations.
• Discussion of a poorly handled Gym/Mall evacuation during a fire alarm. Team will raise with Mall management, involving London Fire Brigade if necessary.
• Reporting channels - proportions?  (Martin)

Ward Priorities Agreed

1. PHONE SNATCHES
2. BROKEN CAR WINDOWS
3. VAWG

Actions for next meeting

1. Dan to provide crime stats for the full period between meetings.
2. Dan to seek further details of the rape report.
3. Roy to speak to Mall management about evacuation procedures.
4. Roy will attempt to locate keys for the Library notice board so as to display poster for the ward panel.

Next meetings

• 10 April 2025
• 09 July 2025

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