Duncan Street area Safer Spaces Project

In response to an increased number of calls about crime and anti-social behaviour on Duncan Street/Duncan Terrace area, we have been carrying out additional work to try and tackle these problems.

We are working together with the local police, Greenspace, street population teams, drugs outreach and ParkGuard* to tackle anti-social behaviour and crime.

Over the coming weeks there will be a number of events and an increase in visible increase by both the police and council in this location to further disrupt and reduce ASB in this location.

Aim

Our aim is to ensure that the residents and visitors Duncan Terrace and the surrounding area feel safe regardless of their personal identity, the time of day, or how busy it is.

We know that how safe someone feels can be influenced by many factors – including age, gender expression, race, ethnicity, visible religious affiliation, and expression of sexuality, as well as how dark it is and how many people are outside.

We want residents to feel confident in reporting incidents and in the response they receive. We want you to tell us how you feel and what you would like to see change. We want to know how communities think we should be improving safety and community confidence, how we can better involve and engage communities in our work and how best we can communicate the work we do with you.

Get involved

• Join us at an event to discuss crime and ASB in your area. See the Key Dates section on the right side of this page
• Submit ideas for how your area could be improved to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour on our Ideas page
• Complete our quick poll to have your say

What are we doing to tackle ASB?

We are continuing to work hard to reduce crime and ASB in Duncan Terrace and in the last two months we have seen a reduction in reported antisocial behaviour in the area. However, we appreciate there is more for us to do and thank you for your patience during this time. .

We have:

• Reduced rough sleeping and cleared the tents/bedding
• Put up posters/distributed leaflets with information on how to report anti-social behaviour
• Completed two closure orders for nearby addresses which were attracting drug dealing/drug use activities in the area
• The police and Parkguard conducted regular weapon sweeps
• Trimmed shrubs and trees at Duncan Terrace Garden
• Cleared drug paraphernalia and jet cleaned the affected locations
• We co-ordinated work at the Duncan Street area to tackle the reported problem reported including environmental improvements to design out crime at Elia Street, park area at Widford House and Duncan Street.
• Safer Neighbourhood Police officers patrolled twice daily and were supported by Islington Council Parkguard officers who respond to reports of ASB to the council. Parkguard were also tasked to patrol daily, based on intelligence, and conducted weapon sweeps.
• We tasked outreach teams, including drug alcohol and health workers to engage with the street population, who visited twice weekly, and also a youth outreach team who visited weekly. The outreach teams reported the area being a lot quieter.
• We used CCTV to deter and detect crime as well as identifying those involved.
• We identified problematic addresses and utilising partnership working to support vulnerable people and use enforcement against perpetrators.
• Local Councillors are working on a project to add gates to the entrances to the housing blocks on Duncan Street to prevent any further loitering, rough sleeping and drug dealing that has been reported. There is currently a feasibility design study under way for this project, which will go ahead subject to funding being confirmed.
• Ward Councillors have succeeded in lobbying the owners of the National Autistic Society building to hoard off the escape door area next to no 2 Duncan Terrace, which was a major location for loitering, drug taking, and rifling of stolen handbags. The area is now completely inaccessible

• Visit this page for regular news feed updates on the actions being taken by the police and council along with other partners
• If you want to keep receiving news from us sign up to our Local Updates.
• You can find updates from your local police team. The Police are committed to tackling the crimes that matter most to you. That's why Met Police have developed a better way for your voice to be heard. Met Engage allows you to get to know your neighbourhood policing team and help shape their local priorities Home Page - Met Engage .

What can you do?

Islington Police and Islington Council take every report of crime and antisocial behaviour seriously. Every report has an impact and allows us to direct resources to areas of high harm.

Drug dealing and drug taking should always be reported to the police as it is a crime and they must investigate. Do not report these issues to the council Anti-Social Behaviour reporting page or on this web page as it will not be investigated.

Report crime

• All crime should be reported to the police. This includes drug dealing, drug taking, theft, abandoned vehicles, aggressive begging and crime taking place within a property
• Report an emergency by phoning 999. An emergency is classified as an immediate risk to life, or likely risk to life
• Report non-urgent crimes by phoning 101 or report online
• You can also contact the safer Neighbourhood team to discuss reported drug related crimes via email: sntni-.stpeters@met.police.uk

Report anti-social behaviour

• Anti-social behaviour (ASB) covers a wide range of unacceptable activity that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to an individual from another household or to the community, or harm to the environment
• Report antisocial behaviour to Islington Council using the online form. If you do not have access to the internet, you can call 020 7527 7272

Raise concerns about someone sleeping rough

If you are concerned about the well being of someone who is sleeping rough on the streets, call StreetLink on 0300 500 0914 or visit the StreetLink website. This sends an alert to the local outreach team who will visit the location to make contact with the person.

• If you are homeless yourself or worried about becoming homeless contact the council’s Housing Aid Centre on 020 7527 2000
• Visit the Islington Council website for more information about how we support people rough sleeping

Raise concerns about someone who is unwell

• If you think someone is unwell, phone 999 and ask for an ambulance. This includes if someone has passed out or is heavily under the influence of drugs or alcohol