You may remember back in September Cllr Qureshi and my self approached the council for Bakers Arms to become a dispersal zone for anti social behavior.

A dispersal order will provide the police with additional powers to disperse groups of two or more people where the officer has reasonable grounds for believing that their presence or behaviour has resulted, or is likely to result, in a member of the public from being harassed, intimidated, alarmed or distressed. Once asked to disperse it will be a criminal offence for that person to return to the dispersal area for a 24-hour period.

If a young person under the age of sixteen is stopped in the area after 9pm and is not accompanied by an adult the police can escort them to their home address, if they are either:                

• At risk or vulnerable from anti-social behaviour, crime etc
• Causing, or at risk of causing, anti-social behaviour

Well a dispersal order has been put in place and commenced from 12noon on 23 November 2009 and will end at 11.59am on 22 May 2010 after which the council will review this again.

Lib Dems working hard for the community!!!!!!

Cllrs Samina Safdar and Farooq Qureshi inspected the alley way with the Head of Public Realm of the council. As reported by the Focus Team previously, this alley way has become a problem spot. 

The Head of Public Realm informed the councillors that due to the fact that this alleyway is a private land and not owned by the Borough, the council is unable to take responsibility. However, if the residents whose gardens back on to the alleyway are willing to share the cost of erecting a security gate, the council will meet the cost and have the Alley Way cleaned and cleared up.

Cllrs Samina Safdar and Farooq Qureshi are in process of calling a meeting of the concerned residents to discuss the issue.

For future developments, watch this space.

An Alley way which runs between the back gardens of some of the houses in Lea Bridge Road and Carnarvon Road has become a problem spot. Irresponsible people use it for fly tipping and other undesirable activities.

Local residents are very concerned and have lodged complaints asking the council to erect a gate and light. But the Council has always maintained that this is privately owned land therefore it is out side the responsibility of the council.

Cllrs Farooq Qureshi and Samina Safdar have taken the matter up with the council once again. The alley way will be visited by the council officers along side the councillors on

Friday 11th September

3.15PM

If you are a concerned local resident, please come and join us.

A small alley way off Poplars Road has become a hot-spot for drug dealers and users of illegal substances. It is also being used for illegal fly tipping.

Cllr Qureshi and officers of The Safer Neighbourhood Team(snt) visited the spot and discussed the ways to eliminate the problems. SNT have promised to increase their patrols of the area. The Focus Team has decided to distribute leaflets to all businesses on Hoe Street whose gardens back on to the alley way, to keep vigilance and report any illegal activities.

FOCUS TEAMS WORK ALL YEAR ROUND

Waltham Forest council has purchased a new drugs testing machine to be used in conjunction with Metropolitan Police. This machine can pick up traces of all types of drugs from any surface.

Pc Neal and officers of the Council presented the machine to the Councillors prior to full Council meeting at the Town Hall. Cllr Farooq Qureshi, Cllr Samina Safdar and a number of other Councillors watched the demonstration with interest.

We hope that with help of this equipment, the authorities will be able to clean up the area from drugs.

Well done to our local Forest Safer Neighbourhood Team who have sucsessfully raided a house in Knotts Green Road which was being used as an illegal DVD factory. 

Over 20,000 illegal DVDs were seized, and one male was arrested.

A job well done!!!

The Forest Safer Neighbourhood Team, together with the Youth Panel at Leyton Sixth Form College, has identified a major problem around the College and surrounding streets of spitting in the streets.  This is disgusting, makes the area look bad and can be a health hazard.

“So please help keep our area clean.”

December 5th, 2008 by Samina Safdar

Councillor Farooq Qureshi and my self run a surgery at the Waltham Forest Direct Shop opposite the bus garage every Saturday from 10 - 12pm. 

The local safer neighbours police attend the surgeries to offer help and advice to residents on graffiti, cycling on the pavement, Dogs mess and any anti social behaviour problems residents may have.

The local police are very interested in local problems, you can contact them on 020 8721 2645    or     020 8721 5005

You may remember during the by election in June Peterbrough Road was looking very unsightly due to graffiti.

Well looking good now all the graffiti has been cleared and lets keep in that way.

On the same note walking round the ward we see the council have cleared a lot of overgrown shrubs and vegetation. 

If you do see any shrubs that need cutting back or trees that need pruning please let me know.