Barking and Dagenham Council’s initiative to join forces with the police and regularly patrol antisocial behaviour hotspots in the east London borough is bearing fruits.



Last Friday (14 May), council enforcement officers, police officers and Police Community Support Officers were deployed around Barking Town Centre and Dagenham Heathway, where they patrolled the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) areas and conducted weapon sweeps.



After patrolling Barking Town Centre, officers were pleased to report that there were no breaches of PSPOs and no weapons were found around the Gascoigne estate including Oburn House and Weavers Quarters.



PSPOs prohibit activities such as street drinking, urinating in public, begging and spitting.



In Dagenham Heathway, alcohol was taken off one individual for drinking on the street and during the weapons sweep, four weapons were discovered around the back of Millard Terrace. These included two knives, one pair of small garden shears and one swiss army knife.



Councillor Margaret Mullane, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “I’m pleased to see that these joint initiatives and hi-visibility presence seem to be making a difference in antisocial behaviour hotspots.



“We want to ensure that Barking and Dagenham is a safe place for people to live and work, so this is just the start and will be continuing the days of action regularly.”



Superintendent Mark Long from the East Area Metropolitan Police said: “This operation highlights the importance of working in partnership with local authority officers.



“Joint initiatives such as this ensure that our communities are protected and that offenders are brought to justice.”



This was the second joint patrol of the week, with one also taking place on Wednesday 12 May. Residents can find the results of that patrol on the council website.