Dagenham estate sees ‘crime improvement’ after closure order

A housing estate beset by anti-social behaviour (ASB) complaints has seen “some improvements” to it following police patrols, a senior officer has said.

Millard Terrace in Heathway, Dagenham was subject to a closure order in December after Barking and Dagenham Council made an application to the courts following resident concerns about ASB and crime.

Residents had previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that life on the estate was “depressing” and they were too scared to use the lifts and dump rubbish in the refuse room because drug addicts had been using them as a toilet.

Under the closure order, police officers had extra powers to arrest anyone hanging around Millard Terrace “without a reasonable excuse” under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.

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On Wednesday evening (August 23), Supt David Rhodes told the LDRS that there has since been “some improvements” and that the closure order had a “real impact” on the estate.

Supt Rhodes said: “There has been some improvements [on the estate] and it had some real impact around there but because that closure order has expired, the real challenges for my teams are making sure we don’t let it revert.

“Whenever we take action, we’ve got to have an exit strategy. The enforcement side of it is great but we’ve got to make sure we’ve got that prevention side as part of the plan.”

Supt Rhodes, along with assistant commissioner Louisa Rolfe, met with Barking and Dagenham residents and community groups last week to discuss the Met’s new policing plan and what the local priorities are for the borough.

Supt Rhodes told the LDRS: “In relation to youth violence, knife crime and robbery, there are some real challenges around that.

“Some of that focus is around our town centres, some of that focus is around our transport hubs, so it’s about making sure we’re working with our partners because we’re not going to solve it alone.”

He added: “The other part of that for me is about making sure we’ve got the right staff in there.

“There are some challenges in those areas but we’re aware of the problems, we’re listening.”