We are working in partnership to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) in Finsbury Park and the surrounding area. This includes investing in new CCTV cameras in and around the park, and setting up a cross-borough CCTV group to share and monitor CCTV images between councils and the police. This group will help us identify how we can improve CCTV coverage, and also provide evidence of criminal activity to support enforcement action.
Our ASB enforcement team has been carrying out regular patrols and engagement activities in the park in partnership with the police and outreach service BUBIC. This helps identify hotspots for issues such as drug use and drug dealing, deal with reports and provide reassurance to residents. The team has installed signage in hotspot locations in and around the park to remind park users of the law and draw attention to crime-stopping features like CCTV cameras. This includes installing anti-robbery signage at the entrance to the park on Seven Sisters Road.
In addition to ongoing work by the local safer neighbourhood teams to engage with residents and address concerns, the police regularly carry out specialist targeted operations focused on addressing issues such as drug and knife offences. Recent successes include:
- knife arches and dog operations to take knives off the street and disrupt drug supplies in the area, including at Finsbury Park station
- a number of significant arrests of individuals who were using the park to deal drugs – individuals have been charged and also issued with community protection notices to remove them from the park as a long-term solution
- working with council officers to design out crime in hotspot locations in the park through the introduction of fencing and temporary hoardings
