Meeting at a glance
The meeting covered the Panel's local community-safety priorities and other matters raised by residents, police and partners.
RobberyVehicle crimeAnti-social behaviourVAWGChurch break-ins
Robbery
- Had increased again recently partly due to known nominals reappearing. Police challenge those they know and are doing high-visibility sweeps of the area using mobile CCTV. MB said that the council were also deploying mobile CCTV.
- 5 suspects had been arrested on Furzedown ward for offences off the ward.
- The SNT had changed their shift patterns to be available around school opening and closing times.
- AG asked whether more CCTV could be positioned to view the path by the athletics track (alongside West Drive). He had recent experience of a man under the influence of drugs wielding a zombie knife at 4pm in the afternoon when young children were around. He had also heard of other attacks on school children along that path. MB said that a permanent CCTV camera required a process which would need to go to the Wandsworth Council cabinet. He urged reporting of all incidents. He also said that the council did not use covert cameras.
- LC advised that the problem was that the path was on Tooting Common and that the Friends of Tooting Common and the Tooting Common Management Advisory Committee were reluctant to increase lighting and cameras. She would raise it again with them. They were already looking into the issue of (e-)bikes using the path. It was also a matter for the Parks Police to deal with and they had given warnings and fixed penalty notices for byelaw offences. However, it was generally felt that they were under-resourced to deal with all the parks and commons in their area.
Action: Parks Police to be invited to the next meeting.
- Police team advised that there was a covert operation targeting phone shops to identify those who had stolen phones and were selling them on.
Vehicle crime
- There had been a pattern of thefts around the Tooting Bec/Balham borders which suggested a possible link to organised crime. There had been 13 thefts in the last month. Beclands and Southcroft Roads had been particularly affected.
- Police acknowledged it was a difficult issue to resolve: it was the biggest issue for Furzedown statistically, although there had been a decrease year on year. It was suggested that the decrease could be due to less reporting of theft due to apathy from members of the public who had reported but seen no action from police.
- The issue of disabled badges being targeted by thieves could be alleviated if drivers didn’t have to display the badges within their own borough, as is the case in some boroughs. MB would check with Wandsworth Council to see if that was the case here.
Action: SNT were aiming to patrol more in hotspot areas.
Anti-social behaviour
- There had been a downward trend in Furzedown, no doubt helped by the colder weather. There had been spikes in October due to Halloween.
- There had been a spate of incidents of young people (Graveney students?) kicking and damaging front doors. This was apparently a TikTok trend.
- The police would be getting another officer who would have a particular focus on schools. Teachers on their way home could also help.
Action: AS said the safeguarding lead at Graveney would be contacted to raise the issue.
- Fly-tipping continued to be an issue. Police were targeting vans which looked to be carrying a lot of waste. The Council fly-tipping team were active and had been fining offenders.
Action: AS asked residents to text him about ongoing ASB issues with specific times and locations.
Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG)
- Police were targeting licensed premises (especially around Tooting Broadway) to try to deter spiking of drinks; advice was also being issued by the Council.
- LC reported that there had been a good zoom meeting with both the Wandsworth Council member and the Mayor’s office member responsible for VAWG online to report what was being done. Training such as ‘Active Bystander’ was being offered, which would be worth considering in Furzedown.
- Tooting Commons were ‘hotspot’ areas due to the relative dark and so opportunities for indecent exposure.
- WBC were involved in a multi-agency approach to this issue.
Any Other Business
- Church break-ins: there had been 8 break-ins over 4 months at Mitcham Lane Baptist Church and 3 break-ins over 3 months at St Alban’s Church. The (hopefully) final time had been on Boxing Day night when someone was arrested coming out of MLBC. The individual was known to police. Advice had been given by police and the Council.
- Crash for cash: 10 garages and 4 insurance companies had been shut down in South London following investigation into this persistent issue. Local police, along with City of London police (who are taking the lead on this issue) will be targeting garages in Furzedown and Streatham suspected of being involved in this scam.
- Women present stressed that there had been a number of incidents locally where scammers had become more threatening and that 999 calls didn’t always get a response. KP’s advice was to stay in the car, keep it locked, ring 999 and stress that you are a woman on her own, being threatened. If the situation isn’t threatening, but likely a scam, the advice was to drive away and ring 101. You could give your details if the claim turned out to be genuine.
- Parcel theft: SS stressed how helpful doorbell cameras could be. If there are pictures of any alleged thieves, they can be sent to AS. Advice is also to use parcel lockers where possible, or neighbours when away. It was important to note that it remains the responsibility of the company you’re buying from to deliver the items safely. Theft from a porch (if fully enclosed) is burglary.
Source: the meeting-minutes document supplied to the Furzedown Safer Neighbourhood Panel website. The source document does not state a separate draft/approved status, so this page labels it simply as published meeting minutes.