Lib Dems Warn Residents Over Rise in Burglaries

Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats are warning local residents and business owners to ensure that they take steps to secure their property after police figures revealed a big rise in the number of burglaries in the borough.

The crime statistics, published on the Metropolitan Police website, show a 10.6% rise in burglaries in the last 12 months, with nearly 2,000 local reports of domestic burglary in the 12 months up to September 2008.

The increase comes despite a 3.1% fall in burglaries across London.

Ward-by-ward data available on the Met website reveals that, in some areas of Waltham Forest, instances of burglary have risen in the past year by almost 50%.

However there is good news elsewhere for Waltham Forest residents as police figures show that overall crime was down by nearly 7%. Significant reductions in car crime and violent robbery significantly contribute to this fall.

Now Waltham Forest Lib Dems are encouraging local residents to make sure they take basic procedures both to secure their house and to combat opportunistic burglaries.

Local Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr John Macklin said:

“The rise in burglaries at both domestic and non-domestic properties is obviously a real concern.

“Burglaries from commercial properties in Waltham Forest have risen by a massive 12.8% in the last year.

“Residents and business owners can help protect their properties from instances of burglary or attempted theft by following some of the simple security measures suggested by the police.”

The Metropolitan Police Website offers a range of crime prevention measures that encourage property owners to reduce their risk of opportunistic criminals — particularly when buildings are unoccupied.

CLICK HERE to read more about the Liberal Democrats ‘We Can cut Crime!’ campaign, including our ‘5 Steps to a Safer Britain’

Cllr O’Rourke Highlights High St ‘Booze Ban’

Cllr James O’Rourke of High St ward appears in this week’s media to highlight the local Alchohol Restriction Zone (ARZ), which has been implemented in the ward to try and tackle anti-social behaviour.

The ARZ has been set up after complaints from residents about drink-related crime and behaviour in the High St area. Police will now be able to order drinkers to throw away their cans, fine them £50, or in the most serious cases use powers of arrest.

Cllr James O’Rourke told this week’s Yellow Advertiser:

“The zone will help us reclaim Walthamstow Town Centre”

“Children and families will be more inclined to use local facilities, such as the town centre park and open space and it will undoubtedly improve the image of one of the gateways to Waltham Forest”.

“We must, though, monitor the situation to and ensure that the problem is not just dispersed to a nearby area”.

Waltham Forest Crime Figures Available Online

Did you know that the Metropolitan Police provide a website where you can check the latest crime levels thorughout the borough.

The site even breaks down offences by crime, so you can see that, whilst total crimes in he borough are down – along with a major fall in motorvehicle crime – instances of burglary have been on the rise.

Go and check out the figures for yourself at the Metropolitan Police Website.

PS: We will provide a permanent link to the Met Crime Mapping site in the sidebar on the left of the screen, so you can continue to monitor the statistics.

Lib Dems Publish Plans to Tackle Local Knife Crime

The Liberal Democrats have published plans to tackle the growing problem of knife crime in London and Waltham Forest.

The document highlights several key proposals for reducing knife crime, including:

Putting 10,000 extra police on the streets, around 2,000 of which would be in London, paid for by scrapping ID cards
Ensuring each Safer Neighbourhood Team includes a trained, dedicated community support officer to identify and work with the young people who are most at risk through schools, youth groups and outreach work
Creating a Greater London Youth Volunteer Force to make it easier for young disadvantaged people to volunteer. Activities would be relevant to young people but also teach them important skills

High St councillor James O’Rourke recently chaired a Council Scrutiny event in order to take evidence on how knife crime was being tackled in our borough.

Sixty people attended representing a myriad of internal and external key partners involved in tackling knife crime in Waltham Forest. A number of interested residents also attended.

Evidence was taken from a wide range of witnesses including the Police, Crown Prosecution Service, Job Centre Plus, schools & colleges and trading standards. Vital evidence was supplied by three representatives of the Youth Independent Advisory Group who gave Councillors of the committees and other attendees an enthralling account from young people’s perspective.

Cllr O’Rourke said:

“We managed to start the debate on how to eradicate this serious problem.

“The issue of knife/youth crime cannot be allowed to disappear into the ether to await another tragedy.”

For a full copy of the Lib Dems proposals, please visit the Liberal Democrat Website.

Public Want Positive Action on Crime – Cllr O’Rourke

Lib Dem High St councillor James O’Rourke has moved to reassure residents that local Lib Dem members are leading the fight against local crime.

In a letter to the Waltham Forest Guardian, Cllr O’Rourke reacted to claims that politicians who has attended local resident-led crime meetings were“as powerless as the non-elected”.

Cllr O’Rourke noted that the Lib Dem High St team have acted positively in setting up a task group to deal with the issues of antisocial behaviour in the area.

He continued:

“High St ward has the highest crime and antisocial behaviour figures in Waltham Forest, yet has the same number of Safer Neighbourhood Police Offices as the other 19 wards.

“It is a unique and significant area to manage and represent.

“The public want to see positive action from their elected representatives. Only Liberal Democrat councillors can offer such leadership.”

Illegal Fly-Tipping in High Street Ward

Fly tipping residents and traders who treat High Street ward like a dustbin have been warned they face huge fines and up to five years in prison when they are caught.

Efforts to clean up the Borough are being undermined by people dumping rubbish on our streets, and Cllrs James O’Rourke and Johar Khan has called for High Street residents’ help.

Cllrs James O’Rourke and Johar Khan said:

“If you have any information about fly-tippers please let us know. Our local area is being plagued by illegal fly tipping”.

Residents can help dispose of their rubbish responsibly

* Every household can have three bulky waste collections every year. Just contact the Council to have your rubbish collected from your doorstep.

* Take your larger waste to a household recycling centre near you

* The Council can provide more black recycling boxes — go online to order them!

* Fly tipping is a crime — Report it!

You can contact the Council to report fly tipping or to find out how to dispose of your waste responsibly on 020 8496 3000.

WF Lib Dems Want Clampdown on Illegal Knife Sales

LIBERAL Democrats in Waltham Forest are calling for tough action to be taken against those caught selling knives to children and young people.

Local Lib Dem leader Cllr John Macklin made the call after figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats revealed that half of all traders tested in Waltham Forest had attempted to sell knives to underage buyers.

In a test-purchasing programme carried out by Waltham Forest Trading Standards earlier this year using young volunteers, 7 out of the 14 purchases attempted resulted in sales. The cases have not yet reached court, but prosecutions are currently being considered.

The worrying statistics come on the back of nationwide figures for prosecutions that were uncovered in Parliament by Chris Huhne MP, the party’s Shadow Home Secretary.

The figures reveal that:
· Only 71 people have been successfully prosecuted for selling knives to children in the last five years
· None were sent to prison and only one was given a community sentence
· 56 people were fined, but 21 of them were given fines of less than £200

Cllr Macklin claimed that the stats revealed “a completely inadequate deterrent to unscrupulous shop keepers who flout the law to sell these weapons to children and young people.”

Cllr Macklin continued:

“Whilst it is obviously welcome that offenders are being identified and caught, the number of local traders who are apparently prepared to sell knifes to those who are underage is extremely worrying. A culture change is needed in order that shopkeepers are all fully aware of the laws and the danger which knives, when in the wrong hands, can cause.

“Liberal Democrats will be calling for officers to carry out further test purchasing programmes in an effort to really drive this message home.”

Cllr Macklin’s Lib Dem colleague Cllr Farooq Qureshi has supported the comments of the Group Leader. Cllr Qureshi, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Leyton and Wanstead, also reports back on community safety activity for the Waltham Forest Lib Dems.

He said:

“Tiny fines and a lack of custodial punishment is the wrong signal to those who profit from the illegal sale of knives.

“It is far too easy for children and young people to get hold of knives. Too many are being drawn into a culture of carrying and using knives.

“Liberal Democrats believe that the courts must take a much stronger stand against those who are fuelling knife crime by illegally selling knives to children and young people.

“Cutting the supply of knives will be one of the most effective ways to reducing knife crime in the first place.”

Local Lib Dems Concerned by Data Loss

Local Liberal Democrats have expressed their concern about the recent loss of personal data records, this time from Whipps Cross hospital, and repeated their call for the Labour government to abandon plans to make people carry identity cards.

Cann Hall Cllr Keith Rayner spoke out after Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg MP published figures showing that 37 million pieces of personal information on UK citizens were lost in 2007, mostly by the Government.

Confidential patient records from Whipps Cross hospital were found on a Hertfordshire roadside last year, sparking concern amongst Waltham Forest residents.

Cllr Rayner claimed that such a massive loss of confidential information demonstrated that the Government could not be trusted with successfully administering an ID Card scheme.

“The expensive identity cards scheme is based on the government storing large amounts of information about each one of us on a central database. This most recent loss of data from Whipps Cross simply demonstrates yet again that, no matter how securely or professionally such information is handled, there will always be breaches of security when enormous banks of personal data are created.

“For the Government to pretend otherwise is either misleading or incredibly naïve.

“In 2007 the Government stumbled from one data loss crisis to another. The worst example came in November when the Government lost the personal details of all 25 million families with children. That has put the privacy of every family in Waltham Forest at risk.”

Local Liberal Democrats successfully led a motion last year against the Labour group on Waltham Forest Council, calling on councillors to denounce the ID Card scheme. The proposal was passed, forcing Council Leader Clyde Loakes into an embarrassing climb down as the Council was affiliated to the ‘NO2ID’ campaign against Labour’s wishes.

Cllr Rayner promised that the Liberal Democrats would continue to lead the local fight against the plans, praising Nick Clegg’s pledge that he would refuse to sign up to any ID Card scheme.

“I am delighted that the new Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg is leading the battle to end the ID cards scheme. Liberal Democrats in Waltham Forest are right behind him.

“The scheme will be a bureaucratic nightmare. It won’t prevent illegal working. It won’t help stop crime or terrorism. If this Labour government really wants to make an impact on crime, terrorism and illegal immigration, the money it has earmarked for this scheme would be far better spent on more police and intelligence officers. That is what the Liberal Democrats would do.”

Local Lib Dems Plan Waltham Forest Sports Academy

Liberal Democrats in Waltham Forest are calling on the council to examine proposals for the establishment of a ‘Sports Federation’ within Waltham Forest.

The proposal would see existing venues able to join together to create a federation of independent, borough-based ‘Centres of Excellence’. Local Lib Dems believe such a project could see each facility providing affordable specialist training in individual sporting activities whilst also allowing users to study for qualifications such as coaching badges.

It is also envisaged that the venues could be expanded in order to provide training in vocational skills such as physiotherapy and nutritional management.

Liberal Democrat Councillor John Macklin claimed that the establishment of a Waltham Forest ‘Academy of Sporting Excellence’ would provide a more effective use of existing facilities and would lay the ground for new sporting venues to be brought to the borough.

Cllr Macklin said:

“Sport is crucial in enhancing and encouraging community cohesion, and one thing that many Waltham Forest residents have in common is a love of sporting activity. We should be harnessing this shared passion as a way of bringing residents from all backgrounds together whilst creating opportunities for young people to learn new skills and qualifications as they enjoy their leisure time.

“Using facilities to develop untapped potential and allow young people to complete coaching badges or take courses in related skills will enable them to use their talents and their enthusiasm for sport in a constructive way.

“Local young people could then use these qualifications to have a hands on involvement in training and coaching at the London 2012 Olympics and beyond, ensuring a real, homegrown sporting legacy in Waltham Forest”.

Local Lib Dems Call for Rethink of Crime Reduction Methods

Local Liberal Democrats have called for Britain’s ‘Surveillance Society’ to be curtailed.

The campaign comes after figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats under the Freedom of Information Act suggested that police are no more likely to catch offenders in areas with hundreds of CCTV cameras than in those boroughs with less surveillance technology.

Waltham Forest, one of the 5 boroughs in London with under 100 CCTV cameras, secured a ‘clearup’ rate in line with the national average of 20%. Nearby Tower Hamlets, meanwhile, returned similar figures despite having nearly ten times as many cameras on their streets.

London’s 10,000 CCTV cameras are estimated to have cost the taxpayer nearly £200 million, yet 81% of Leyton and Wanstead residents participating in a survey conducted by the Liberal Democrats suggested that they still felt unsafe after dark.

The figures appear to confirm research by the crime reduction charity NACRO, who claim that greater investment in alternative measures such as extra street lighting would be more effective in tackling criminal behaviour. 95% of local residents also wanted more police on the streets, whilst 77% backed greater night patrols.

Liberal Democrat councillor Keith Rayner (Cann Hall) said:

“These ‘clearup’ figures suggest that the ‘surveillance society’ we are living in isn’t helping in the fight against crime.

“We need to think again to ensure that we are implementing the most effective methods for tackling criminal behaviour. Residents have told us that they want to see police officers and wardens on their streets.

“Whilst CCTV has a part to play, the sense of security that visible street patrols give residents is crucial.

The plea for a revision of current crime prevention tactics comes after the Liberal Democrats pledged to ‘roll back’ what Cllr Rayner called an “erosion in the liberties of the British people”.

“This Government has given the state unprecedented powers to invade the lives of its citizens. The Liberal Democrats are committed to the immediate repeal of the Identity Cards Act, the destruction of all DNA samples taken from those not charged or convicted and a greater regulation of CCTV”

Leyton and Wanstead Crime Survey Results:

Q1: Do you feel more or less likely to be the victim of crime?

More: 62%
Same: 31%
Less: 5%

Q2: Do you feel safe after dark?

Safe: 15%
Unsafe: 81%

Q3: Have you been the victim of crime, or no someone who has?

Yes: 61%
No: 33%

Q4: Do you support LD plans to abandon ID Cards and put more police on the streets?

Yes: 75%
No: 20%

Q5: What are your priority areas for policing?

Night patrols: 77%
Shopping areas: 41%
Open spaces: 27%

Q6: Should residents have more say in policing?

Yes: 89%
No: 6%

Q7: Should residents have the power to close pubs and clubs?

Yes: 92%
No: 5%

Q8: Are there enough police on patrol?

Yes: 2%
No: 95%