NEW ALLEY GATE KEEPS ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AT BAY

Havering Council and local police have installed a heavy duty metal gate at the entrance of an alley to put a stop to antisocial behaviour near residents’ homes.

The Council and police acted after being informed by residents about graffiti, under-age drinking, fly-tipping and small fires being started in the alleyway in Fontayne Avenue, Romford.

Officers from the Pettits Safer Neighbourhoods team consulted residents about the idea of installing a gate to prevent access to the alley to non-residents.

As part of the joint Action Havering campaign to reduce the fear of crime, the Council then paid £900 to have the gate installed and keys given to each resident.

Cllr Peter Gardner, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said:

"Sometimes doing small things like installing a gate can make a huge difference to the quality of residents lives. We always listen to residents’ concerns and with the police we will try to find a solution to reducing antisocial behaviour to making people feel safer and happy about where they live."

Sgt Vikki Haver, Pettits Safer Neighbourhood team, said:

"The residents have suffered from crime and antisocial behaviour in this alleyway over a number of years. Thanks to the installation of the gate those problems have ceased and both our team and the local community are very happy with the result."