Weapons Found in White City During 24-hour Operation
Local enforcement team aiming to crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour
Weapons recovered include a knife and a baton
Hammersmith & Fulham’s Law Enforcement Team (LET) undertook a 24-hour mass operation earlier this month to crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour in White City.
The LET officers focused on homes, schools, businesses and parks in the White City area, including the White City and Wood Lane Estates, Batman Close, Uxbridge Road, Wormholt Park Primary and Phoenix Academy, Wormholt and Hammersmith Park, as well as Shepherd’s Bush Green.
During a weapon sweep of the White City Estate, officers recovered weapons including a long kitchen knife and a baton, all of which were taken to the local police station for disposal.
The team have been checking beneath roundabouts in playgroundsand in bushes for weapons.
One of the officers told BBC London that they sometimes find knives stuck underneath play equipment on routine weapon sweeps.
LET officer Ian Baron commented, “We’re working hard to take these weapons off the street. Removing even just a handful of weapons can make a huge difference.”
The LET officers spent the day knocking on doors and talking to hundreds of residents on the estate about anti-social behaviour in the area to learn how they can help.
H&F Leader Cllr Stephen Cowan joined the team and said, “We set the Law Enforcement Team up last summer, because police numbers were down, and crime was up across the UK. And we simply weren’t prepared to tolerate the increase in crime anywhere, let alone Hammersmith & Fulham.
They are a real part of our force to deal with crime and anti-social behaviour.”
Officer checking under equipment in playground. Picture: BBC London
During the exercise officers spoke to over 240 residents at their doorsteps, recorded nearly 500 actions or engagements, conducted 63 weapons sweeps and supplied local parents with details about the gang’s engagement youth event scheduled to take place at QPR stadium on Friday, 25 February.
In addition they tagged nine abandoned bikes with a two-week notice of removal, followed up on complaints about fly-tips and domestic and commercial waste presentation and highlighted concerns about youths congregating and non-residents loitering in communal areas as ongoing issues in the area.
The team reported nearly 500 engagements with White City residents
H&F’s new Law Enforcement Team now has 72 members. Since its launch in May 2021, the team has responded to more than 2,000 calls from borough residents and acted on more than 35,000 anti-social behaviour related incidents. The team can enforce a range of legislation and assist all blue light services with a range of tasks.
All LET officers are Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) trained. This police accreditation enables officers to obtain the name and address of offenders although they cannot detain them.
Together with the council's 24/7 CCTV team, they allow for additional eyes to support the police. In an emergency, they can contact the police via the CCTV control room, who have a direct link to the police if they need assistance and vice versa.
They are also in contact with the local Safer Neighbourhood Teams police wards and attend ward panels and residents meetings with them regularly.
LET officers are easily recognisable by their uniform – red tie, high-vis jacket and hat – and will always identify themselves as council officers through their H&F staff and warrant cards.
The LET’s next 24-hour operation will take place on Wednesday, 16 February in Brackenbury Village.
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February 14, 2022