Neighbourhood Watch Meeting

A quick thanks to those residents who attended the local police team's update and Neighbourhood Watch Meeting last week.

As local Councillors, we have been keen to support Neighbourhood Watches throughout the ward, wherever local residents want to set one up. Although crime is thankfully very low in Maida Vale there is always more work to do and a strong local community can help spot any problems early.

If you would like to start a Neighbourhood Watch in your street do get in touch on maidavale@maidavaleconservatives.com

Paddington Rec: Meeting

Last week, we attended the quarterly Paddington Rec meeting with Council officers. This meeting, which is held in the Pavilion, is the time when local Councillors, officers and representatives of Nuffield Health (who manage the Rec) come together to discuss issues and developments. It's also our opportunity to feedback everything local residents have told us about the Rec over the previous few months.

There are a number of things to report:

• Cafe Extension: is on track for completion in Summer, as previously reported;
• Wifi in Cafe: Westminster will be installing wifi in the cafe from early in the New Year, following a request from a resident, via Jan;
• Environmental Area: has won an award from the Institute of Groundskeepers - this is great news which is a testament to all the hardwork designing and constructing this area;
• Bowling Pavilion: planning permission has now been obtained for the upgrade of the Bowling Pavilion - work is scheduled to be completed for the re-opening of the Green in Spring;
• Anti-social behaviour: The police were pleased to report that the Rec remains very quiet with no incidents being reported recently - regular patrols, regular visits with the mobile police station and a number of banning orders against known troublemakers all seem to be helping this;
• Leaf Blowers: a number of residents in Randolph Avenue have raised concerns about the practice of using mechanical leaf blowers in the Rec in recent months. We asked the officers to undertake a thorough assessment of their use and whether any alternative provision could be put in place. We are pleased to report that we agreed to stop the use of the blowers during the weekends, which we hope is a helpful compromise for those who are concerned.

If you have any comments on the Rec, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us (maidavale@maidavaleconservatives.com). We'll be happy to raise them on your behalf at the next meeting, which will be held in the Spring.

Lee

Maida Vale Police Team: Latest Update

The Maida Vale local police team have sent us their latest update:

• Priorities: Police priorities in oura rea remain tackling anti-social behaviour in Elgin Avenue and the Rec, along with a continuing campaign to reduce residential burglary;
• Elgin Parade: groups of youngsters have continued to gather at this area in the evening, with some anti-social behaviour occurring as a result. The mobile police station has been deployed as a visible deterrent and have spent time trying to work with some of these young people to find them alternative thigns to do (including a number who have been introduced to the Army Cadet scheme). Further work continues.
• Paddignton Rec: The Rec remains, on the whole, quiet. The mobile police station has been deployed on a regular basis to both deter any anti-social behaviour and to provide a point of contact for the public. A total of 13 people have been banned in the last 12 months from the Rec for poor behaviour.

As local Councillors, we know that the top priority of many residents around Elgin Avenue, Lanark Road and Hamilton Court is tackling the youth congregation issue. Further work has been undertaken since this update was provided to us and we will continue to press for a resolution. As part of our determination to solve this problem, we have allocated monies from the Maida Vale Community Fund to support two additional uniformed City Guardians in the area until March 2010.

Jan

Maida Vale Police Meeting

Last Monday the Maida Vale Safer Neighbourhoods Team held a meeting for local residents to talk through their concerns and views on our local area.

The meeting was well attended by a number of local residents, many of whom who wanted to speak with the police about issues or concerns they had. A number of issues were brought up - from the high-profile (regarding the recent success against the youths on Elgin Parade) to the ones which the police and Council are always fighting a battle against (like dog mess or people cycling on pavements).

As local Councillors, we also invited our colleague, Cllr Audrey Lewis, to the meeting. Audrey is the Chairman of one of the committees which monitors the police's response to crime and anti-social behaviour within Westminster. We're very glad that Audrey was able to hear at first hand the concerns that Maida Vale residents had.

All in all, most residents agreed that Maida Vale was, in general, a pretty safe place to live. There are always problems and concerns and it is good that the police can gather these at regular intervals by holding meetings like this.

If you have a concern about crime or anti-social behaviour in our area, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We hold weekly meetings with our local police team and will always feedback any issues you tell us about.

Jan

Maida Vale Police Team Update

Our local police team have provided us with the latest update on what they are up to –

Paddington Rec: The team continue to report good news on Paddington Rec, which remains quiet and relatively free of anti-social behaviour. Further success has been reported on the ‘youth diversion’ agenda, where the police are making efforts to persuade youngsters using the area to get involved with sport and other physical activity. The police also have confirmed that their new mobile police van (which we have had a long conversation about, particularly in regard to Maida Vale’s £100,000 community budget) will be situated in Paddington Rec at points going forward to deter any potential anti-social behaviour.
Burglaries: The police are also paying particular attention to any burglaries currently reported in the ward and continue to make their personal visits to anyone affected. The team report some success in that a male was recently caught in the act of committing a burglary and was arrested.

We also welcome PC Bishop who joined the team last month to replace Richard Berns who left to take up a new position elsewhere. Welcome!

Jan, Alastair and Lee

Maida Vale Police Team Update

An update from the Maida Vale Police team on their recent activity:

• Elgin Parade anti-social behaviour: The problems experienced last Autumn by a small group of kids appear now to have been fully eliminated. The police continue to monitor the area in case of any resurgence but, for now, all is thankfully peaceful.
• Beachcroft House Annex, Shirland Road: Will now be made a priority, both to improve safety and security in the area and also crack down on any associated anti-social behaviour
• Paddington Rec: The police team are very pleased to report that misbehaviour in the Rec has remained low over the past few months. More monitoring will take place as the Summer begins.

If you would like to speak to the police team on any non-emergency matter, they can be contacted on 8721 2410, 07920 233950 or maidavale.snt@met.police.uk.

Jan

Maida Vale Police Team: News Update

The Maida Vale Police Team have provided their latest quarterly update of what they have been working on:

Elgin Parade

All members of the group responsible for low-level anti-social behaviour in/around Elgin Parade have now been identified. Four of the group have been made to sign Acceptable Behaviour Contracts with strict conditions (the precursors to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders). Two arrests have been made in relation to incidents that occurred during the Autumn on Elgin Parade and one individual has been taken to court.

The police report that anti-social behaviour decreased significantly since November. ASBOs and other measures will be held in reserve if there is any uptick in problems.

Paddington Rec

Officers are continuing to monitor Paddington Rec and are pleased to report no incidents in the last few months. Known troublemakers remain banned and have not been spotted in recent months and there continues to be attempts to engage other youngsters in diversionary activities (sport or other physical activity).

City of Westminster College

Officers report an incident before Christmas where 7 students from Westminster College were caught smoking cannabis in the doorway of a nearby mansion block. All have been given written warnings by the College, with one youth having been arrested and permanently excluded from the college.

New Team Member

We welcome Sargeant McGregor who joined the team in the late Autumn.

Lee

Update from Maida Vale Police Team

The Maida Vale Safer Neighbourhoods Team have provided another update on their current activities:

• Motor Vehicle Crime: operation was conducted at the end of 2007 where a decoy car was placed in strategic areas under surveillance. Officers continue to be proactive in crime prevention advice, placing advice cards on windscreens and seeking out the names and addresses of people who leave obvious valuables on display within their vehicles.
• Paddington Rec: A welcome and noticeable reduction in direct low-level anti-social behaviour has been noted in recent months. Police wait to see whether this is seasonal or a permanent improvement. Impact statements continue to be gathered from the public in the meantime.
• Westminster College: Police attended an open day at the college to discuss behaviour with students - but the college remains relatively quiet and there have been no incidents of note since the beginning of the new academic year.
• St. Augustine's Car Boot fair: Police are currently undertaking an operation to address some illegal trading in the streets and to prevent any illegal activities taking place. Warnings have been issued and incidents are being photographed and filmed.

Lee

Motor Vehicle Crime: Update

When the Maida Vale Safer Neighbourhoods police team asked local residents last year for their major priorities to tackle crime, it was theft and vandalism against cars which came the highest on their list. It is something which we both hear about and see the consequences of (smashed glass on the pavement) too often.

The police team have provided us with an update on their latest efforts to tackle the problem:

• intelligence continues to be gathered against 13 identified regular offenders who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime in our local area (with a majority of these currently in prison/on remand)
• issues continued to be regularly discussed at the local Civicwatch briefing sessions, bringing together the police team, the council, City of Westminster College, CityWest Homes and others
• decoy operations have been run in our streets, resulting in one arrest

The majority of crimes against vehicles are speculative, often because criminals think they can get lucky. The best way to reduce the chances of damage is to remove all valuable from sight and to remove the tell-tale signs of any valuables (such as the marks left on the windowscreen from TomTom holders).

Our local Safer Neighbourhoods team are based in Harrow Road. Contact details can be found to the right.

Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss this any further. We've been working closely, for example, with residents in Delaware Road to reduce car crime in the last month or so, and we'd be very happy to help in any way we can.

Alastair

Update from Maida Vale Police Team

The Maida Vale Safer Neighbourhoods Team have provided an update on their current activities:

• Paddington Rec: work continues to identify the youths involved with the low-level anti-oscial behaviour in the Rec. A number of incidents of drugs smoking has been logged by polce in recent weeks, which have been dealt with robustly
• Motor crime: Continues to be monitored and officers continue to work with local residents to reduce the likelihood of being targeted
• Westminster College: seems to have been relatively quiet since the start of the new academic year - the police maintain a watching brief

There have also been a number of changes to the team - Matt Medhurst becomes Acting Sargeant for Maida Vale ward, taking over from Aleks Pogroszewski, who has been promoted. PC John Jones has also taken over from PC David Denney as Safer Schools officer for St. George's School.

Lee

Eighteen Ways to Improve Westminster

In last week's Council Meeting, Sir Simon Milton, the leader of Westminster Council, outlined the plans for the second year of our One City programme, which seeks to improve the lives of Westminster residents. He outlined 18 separate initiatives which the Council will work on over the next year:

• improving secondary school attainment
• a new learning and achievement strategy for Westminster's schools
• improving opportunities for older residents through the Every Older Person Matters programme
• launching a new temporary-to-permanent housing scheme to boost home ownership
• launching a Local Employment Initiative
• bidding for a new Construction Training Centre to be based at Paddington Green
• making Westminster an exemplar green authority through our Go Green initiative
• exempting all green vehicles (not just electric) from resident's permit charges
• continued spending on local high streets
• receiving and actioning the planning application from the proposed Victoria Interchange
• developing Westminster's first ever noise strategy
• supporting a Family Drug and Alcohol Court to support early intervention
• targeting crime and disorder around the Prince of Wales junction on the Harrow Road
• improving parking and the range of parking services available online
• launching a Wireless Innovation Competition
• strengthening the role of ward councillors at neighbourhood level
• recruiting 4,700 additional volunteers by March 2009
• launching further engagement programmes with local residents

Further details can be found here.

Westminster Conservatives are committed to putting forward a positive, pragmatic vision for Westminster for the next four years and beyond. We would welcome your support in achieving these aims.

Please do get in touch if you have any comments on the proposed initiatives launched last week.

Alastair, Jan and Lee

Police Meeting - This Evening

Don't forget - the Maida Vale Police Meeting is happening tonight (6.30pm) at the Maida Centre. Please do come along to discuss the work of our local police and Civicwatch teams and to have your say about where the police should be concentrating going forward.

Jan

Maida Vale Police Meeting

Just a short post today to say that, at our request, we'll be holding a community meeting to discuss our local police team, crime and anti-social behaviour on Monday 26 February. The meeting will be at the Maida Centre, Lanark Road from 6.30pm onwards.

Please do come along to listen to our local police team, our local Civicwatch and to have your say. All welcome!

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Jan

Paddington Police Meeting

Attended the Paddington/Marylebone Police Community Consultative Group last night, which brings together senior officers and residents to discuss the challenges of policing Westminster.

The latest crime figures for Paddington (April - August) showed a welcome reduction in some offences over the same period last year; 21 less instances of theft of property, 120 less robberies against people, 59 less cycle thefts and 86 less crime against cars. There has, however, been a slight increase in burglaries and criminal damage - both of which the police are working to sort out.

The new Maida Vale Safer Neighbourhoods Team, which has been in place since April, also reported back. The team has highlighted four major areas to work upon to reduce anti-social behaviour in Maida Vale:
(1) Paddington Rec
(2) Dibdin House
(3) St. Augustine's School
(4) Lanark Road

Please do let us know what you think of the above priorities. And don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you are experiencing issues in your building, street or anywhere in our area.

Lee

PS For anti-social behaviour not serious enough to call 999, residents should use Westminster Council's Anti-Social Behaviour Line on 7641 3000. Police and CivicWatch can only address low-level crime if we all provide the information everytime the problem occurs.

Lauderdale and Castellain Road Street Surgeries

This weekend we held one of our regular Down Your Street Surgeries in Lauderdale and Castellain Roads.

A fair few people (unusually for a Saturday afternoon!) were in and were happy to chat to us about Maida Vale and what the Council is doing to improve our area. Most people were very happy with Westminster - and a number were particularly glad for the recent resurfacing in Elgin.

We have a number of environmental, recycling and anti-social behaviour to take up on behalf of Castellain and Lauderdale residents. Some rather tiresome individuals seem to be of the opinion that bicycles locked away, off the road, in Castellain Road are somehow public property appropriate for disposal. Very bad form, and we've made the Safer Neighbourhoods Team aware.

If you live in Maida Vale and have an issue or problem we can help you with, please don't hesitate to get in touch at any time.

Lee