Barking and Dagenham Council and the police are continuing to put on a united front to combat crime in the borough.



On Wednesday (12 May), council enforcement officers and the police joined forces to patrol key antisocial behaviour hotspots – Barking Town Centre and Dagenham Heathway.



The first patrol took them to Barking Town Centre where four enforcement officers and four Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) split into four groups to target the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) area, where they achieved the following results:



•    One begging warning was given to a person and their welfare issues were discussed

•    Alcohol was taken off seven people who were street drinking  

•    One rough sleeper was spoken to and offered support



The teams then split into two groups of four, and conducted a weapon sweep through the Gascoigne estate, around the back of the shops in East Street and in the car parks around Barking Station. During this sweep, no weapons were found.



Enforcement officers then turned to Dagenham Heathway where they were joined by three police officers and one PCSO officer.



During their rounds they issued one begging warning and seized alcohol off one individual who was street drinking in the PSPO area.



A weapon sweep was also conducted around Millard Terrace and round the back of the shops in the Heathway. Once again, no weapons were found.



Councillor Margaret Mullane, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “We know how important it is to residents that they see that the police and council are working together to fight crime and these action days are just one way to show that we’re pulling in the same direction.



“We will be looking to have these action days on a regular basis to show residents that the council and police are working from the same page to tackle issues.”



Metropolitan Police Inspector Mel Baker said: “The joint initiative Day of Action had some remarkable results, huge credit to our partners at Barking and Dagenham Council and our local Neighbourhood Policing Team officers for the efforts to rid our streets of antisocial behaviour.



“The Metropolitan Police will take appropriate action and deal with those who commit crimes in our borough.”