Havering 'Day of Action'

As part of Op Yamzee.  Neighbourhood officers joined forces in Havering on Monday 15 December in a varied high visibility deployment across the borough which saw teams focus on areas where crime and anti social behaviour has been prevalent. 

The Neighbourhood Officers worked alongside the local authority officers, drug detection dogs, CCTV, the Havering Councils Community Safety Team, The Havering Joint Task Force, the Safer Transport Team and Street Duties Officers.  Various policing activities took place including a community weapons sweep in Central Park, Harold Hill, knife screening as well as uniform and plain clothed patrols.

During the operation officers from the Safer Transport Team attended Elm Park and also patrolled the 252 and 365 Bus Routes.  Further to this they conduct a Community Road Watch initiative and reported that there were no issues identified during their time there.

Children and Young People (C&YP) officers attended Koru Independent AP Academy at the conclusion of the school day.  A knife screening device was deployed at the site, and 20+ students were screened for weapons. No positive results were identified during the screening process, providing reassurance to pupils, staff, and the wider community that none of the individuals present were carrying weapons.  The school staff expressed their appreciation for the proactive engagement and collaboration with the police, particularly in addressing issues related to weapons and serious youth violence. This partnership has been instrumental in fostering a safer environment and promoting awareness among young people about the risks and consequences associated with such behaviours.

Weapon Sweeps were conducted in various areas and this was attended by members of the community including Ward Panel members and local councillors along with Parks Police.  In other searches one throwing knife was also recovered.

There were 5 stop and searches completed as a result of the drug dog deployments with one individual arrested for Possession with Intent to Supply Cannabis and linked to this two premises were searched and a further individual was dealt with for possession of cannabis.  An aggressive beggar was also identified and issued with a Community Protection Warning after local residents and businesses raised concerns about their persistent behaviour.  The individual was later arrested for theft from a charity container and is currently in custody.

The Havering Joint Task Force completed mobile patrols within the area and this resulted in an additional 4 people being stop and searched and 1 person was issued a Penalty Notice for cannabis.

Inspector Mark Connolly for Havering Safer Neighbourhood's said  

“The day of action was part of a pre-arranged policing plan to support various areas across Havering targeting ASB (anti-social behaviour) and drugs. This co-ordinated day of action was a result of policing intelligence led by local teams to support the local community. Elm Park is one of several areas across Havering which has seen some isolated incidents across the last few weeks. I would encourage the community to sign up to www.metengage.co.uk to receive local updates from your local team of officers