Below is a personal summary by Cllr Saqlain Choudry, written a few minutes after Friday’s meeting at Willesden Green Library on recent violent incidents. Officers were taking detailed notes and these will be shared with attendees in due course. These notes include an action plan and a commitment to a meeting by end of January/February to review progress on action plans. Given the widespread interest, he summarised at a high level some of the discussion points.
This evening, over 120 people gathered at Willesden Green library to discuss community safety in the locality. Organised by Brent Council and the Met Police, the agenda consisted of the recent tragic murder in Willesden alongside other anti-social behaviour & local crime issues.
Members of the community were joined by representatives of the Met Police team and Brent Council’s community safety team including Director of Communities.
The leader of the Council (Cllr Muhammed Butt), lead member (Cllr Harbi Farah), local MP (Dawn Butler) and local Councillors (Cllr Saqlain Choudry, Cllr Janice Long and Cllr Tom Miller) were also present.
At the start of the meeting, Dawn Butler MP led a one minute silence in memory of the victim who sadly lost their life. Our thoughts and condolences with the victim’s family and all those affected by this awful and tragic murder.
Throughout the meeting, detailed notes were being taken and an action plan being devised which was shared in person and will be shared with members of the public afterwards too.
Members of the community safety team as well as Met Police representatives were also noting the passionate concerns being expressed, key local intelligence, local hotspots and the common areas causing grief and worry for local residents.
Residents are reminded to continue to report crime and ASB through the appropriate forums and channels. For instance, if drug dealing and drug consumption is happening in real time, that constitutes a 999 call.
In instances where there have been many crime reports and crime reference numbers obtained, please send this across to local MP Dawn Butler MP, Cllr Muhammed Butt (Leader of Council) and local ward Councillors so these can be followed up with the Borough Commander and relevant authorities in the Met Police.
There will be instances where the police and council can only share limited information due to legal or operational constraints. Example: an ongoing court investigation or sensitive operational intelligence that needs to be confined to specific personnel. There will be other instances where the local police and local council will need the involvement of local residents to satisfy the evidence in court eg closure orders.
This has been successful in the past and there are specific locations/addresses already in motion where Willesden Green SNT have been working with locals to bring about closure orders.
Organisers of the meeting assured the community that communication will continue and a follow-up meeting organised in due course to hold the relevant authorities to account over the agreed action plans. Members of the public were also encouraged to join and participate in local safer neighbourhood team panel meetings which shape local priorities and hold the local police to account.
The council and the Met reassured residents that this meeting and previous meetings organised are not organised in vain but the sentiments of the room were recognised and this is why a follow up meeting with targeted actions will be organised in due course.
The above is not an official council or Met Police summary but given the widespread interest and concern, a personal summary and especially for those who were unable to attend.
Once again, thanks to members of the public who joined at short notice, shared their real concerns and gave up their Friday evening to express their opinions and feedback.
Further comment by local resident who atttended the meeting:
All of us residents in attendance at the above meeting were deeply saddened at the violent loss of a young life within our community. However, we also wanted the council and the police to listen to our growing concerns about the systemic and escalating neglect of our community. When a community begins to be neglected, it undoubtedly attracts more anti-social behaviours.
We do not want yet another talking shop meeting. We would like to see action, which will mean the council, the police and residents working together on short and longer terms plans for improving general safety in the area.
Policing cannot just be done remotely. I personally believe that consideration should be given to re-opening the little police station on the high road. It would inject confidence back into the community. We understand that there are cut backs, however neglecting residents safety will eventually cost more in the long run.
As for Brent council, their neglect of the immediate Willesden Green area is plain to see and again, will only cost more to fix in the long run.
It would be good to see the local authority give some attention to the following:
-The rise in drug-related anti-social behaviours in the area.
-Fly typing in the area
- Household rubbish being dumped on pavements. It's always the same houses.
-Pavement repairs following major building works.
It is ridiculous that no one has responsibility for this.
-Broken pavements and mountains of wet leaves are dangerous, particularly to elders. Myself and neighbours have mostly solely cleared pavements and block drains outside our homes again this winter. Brent needs to do better.
-Speeding lorries in Brondesbury Park. Maybe huge 20mph signs should be painted on the road.
-Brondesbury Park street repair. The stretch of road from the lights at the intersection of Sidmouth road to where Brondesbury Park meets Staverton Road. The very same craters pop every time there is rain and I'm sure the amateur repairs are costing the councils thousands of pounds each time.
The above are just some areas of concern which I know are shared by many residents.
-Address business licencing in Willesden High Road and Walm Lane. How many of these businesses are really legitimate concerns?
And why so many betting shops?
The size of Friday's meeting is clear indication that residents want better accountability from both our local council and the police.
Warmly,
Yvonne Bailey-Smith
Willesden Resident
2 comments:
Surely it would have been better to have an independent Police statement rather than a 'view' of a Labour Councillor especially as control of the Police falls under the authority of another Labour politician - the Mayor of London.
The notes of the meeting are being written up at present but I think by Brent Council officers who will probably clear them with MPS Brent first. As people were asking what had happened at the meeting and I was unable to attend, I published Cllr Choudhary's account that he took the trouble to write up immediately after the meeting. As the intro says this was his personal account. Anyone else who was there is free to comment below the article.
Post a Comment