A series of one-day co-ordinated stings to further reduce crime across five-north London boroughs will be entering its second phase tomorrow Tuesday, 10th May.Commander Alf Hitchcock, who is leading Operation Resolve, said:"The first stage of Operation Resolve has achieved its primary objective of putting the fear of crime back where it belongs, in the mind of the criminal. "Through pooling information and resources across north London, police and partner agencies minimised the opportunity for travelling criminals to use the area as a crime corridor.
"In this second stage of Resolve we will build on knowledge gained from local communities to increase arrests and make our neighbourhoods safer for residents and no-go areas for criminals."
The boroughs will be using a range of crime reduction tactics, tailored towards tackling problems specifically relevant to the local areas but also dealing with the wider issue of cross-border crime. These include:- Conducting warrants for known offenders who commit hate crimes including domestic violence, homophobic and racial offences.
Local residents, shopkeepers and passers-by are invited to listen, contribute and influence local policing in their neighbourhoods through a unique method of briefing officers named the 'Chicago style'. Adopted from a method used by Chicago police, teams will be briefed in an outdoor area of the local community, for example a car park. Teams consist of police officers, PSCOs, police specials and community wardens, with as many as twenty-five staff present.
Environmental scanning: Safer Neighbourhood teams together with local councillors and opinion formers will patrol their wards to look at how the environment can be improved to reduce crime and make residents feel safer. The teams will look at street lighting, alleyways, foliage overgrowth and access points.
Working with bus companies, officers will patrol known problem transport routes to cut anti-social behaviour and related crimes.
To reduce residents becoming victims of crimes, a mobile crime prevention bus will be stationed at hotspot crime areas.
Test purchase operations with Trading Standards will deploy youngsters to shops selling knives and alcohol, to establish whether they are illegally selling to those under age.
Using airport-style metal search arches in various locations and venues throughout the borough to trace people who carry weapons. Police will be using Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to stop and search individuals in these known problem areas.
Crack-house raids targeting drug addresses using ASBO powers of closure.
Extra officers specifically tasked to establish new links within Safer Neighbourhood wards, gathering information on crime and local issues affecting the quality of life of local residents
Intensive hot-spot patrolling in areas where criminals who cross borough borders are known to operate.
Increased number and deployment of police cars to patrol the boroughs, both overt and covert.
The Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system will be checking number plates of vehicles.
Supt Gerry Leitch, leading Operation Resolve in Haringey, said:"The ANPR system does not stop vehicles for motoring offences only, this system scans number plates against information stored in police and government databases, such as Immigration Services and Customs and Excise and the DVLA.
Criminals using the road are increasingly vulnerable to ANPR technology; they may be wanted for debt repayment, failing to appear at court, outstanding warrants or immigration issues. Often criminals are not aware they have been detected before the police intercept."
The boroughs will have the use of the Territorial Support Group (TSG) to assist with known criminals, British Transport Police to restrict offenders who use the transport networks to travel around and commit crime, Transport for London, special constables, extra PCSOs, council wardens, bailiffs, London Transport Revenue Inspectors, Air Support Unit and specialist search officers.
Operation Resolve began this unique blitz on 5th April and results from the day highlight the initial successes across the boroughs of Hackney, Haringey, Barnet, Waltham Forest and Enfield.
On 5th April in excess of 1,000 police officers, PCSOs and street wardens flooded the streets to reduce crime, arrest criminals, gather new community information and transfer the fear of crime from the victim to offenders.
Significant successes include: -
A total of 196 arrests were made across the five boroughs. These included drug dealers, robbers, violent offenders and other high priority criminals.
Barnet made 32 arrests and with the help of local knowledge seized a kilo of cocaine.
Haringey officers worked closely with the Department of Works and Pensions and seized £50,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act. They made 66 arrests.
Waltham Forest saw an extra 193 officers on the streets, where police made 29 arrests for a range of offences including possession of knives, robbery, drugs, drink driving, shoplifting and criminal damage.
Hackney made 35 arrests. At Hackney Central train station special bins were provided for potential criminals to ditch their weapon before they entered an airport style search arch.
In Enfield a 'Chicago-style' briefing took place giving passers-by, shopkeepers and members of the community the opportunity to influence local policing. Officers also made 34 arrests, several for weapon possession and burglary.
Other successes include £100,000 of assets recovered, four arrests for kidnap and the seizure of items at search arches at transport links including flick knives and a police baton.
