Top of the agenda: cracking down on antisocial behaviour
In February 2001 abseiling police officers descended down a tower block in
North Kensington, catching crack-dealing criminals red handed. Pictures showed
the police's dawn raid and it made for great television. But the reality was
that within hours the crack house was back open for business. Here we take a
look at the radical steps the Council took to tackle a problem that threatened
to get out of control.
Four years ago Kensington and Chelsea faced an explosion of crack cocaine
dealers and dens.
On top of the immediate problem, the Council, the police and other authorities
were battling against the antisocial behaviour that followed in the wake of
crack houses. Increases in prostitution and violent crime in turn led to greater
public anxiety and fear of crime, both in and beyond those neighbourhoods
affected.
Faced with a growing problem, the Council acted quickly. One of the first steps the Council took was to set up a multi-agency working
group. It included the Council, the police and a number
of residential and social landlords. Between them they developed
a Rapid Reaction Protocol to tackle crack houses in Kensington and Chelsea.
The aim of the Protocol was to ensure a quick response in dealing with crack
houses as soon as they were found, to prevent crack houses from re-establishing
themselves and to protect the most vulnerable communities and residents from
drug-related crime.
Within seven working days of a crack house being identified, a co-ordinated
multi-agency response was triggered. The aim was to close all crack houses within
42 days of key agencies recognising it existed.
Recent figures reveal that over the last 12 months the rapid reaction team
has closed down nine crack houses. By May 2004 there were no known crack houses
in Council property. The close partnership between the Council and other
agencies is reaping real rewards.
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While the initiative to close down crack houses is proving highly successful,
the ongoing battle to remove drug dealers from the streets of Kensington and
Chelsea remains. However, once again the Council is leading the way nationally
in this area and in January 2004 it achieved a significant victory against four
of the most ruthless dealers in London.
Exclusion orders explained:
Under Section 222 of the Local Government Act, councils can gain
exclusion orders banning dealers from areas where they are known to trade.
Unlike criminal law, once the order is in place, it is there for life, and
it can be expanded to include other dealers and other areas.
The police can report any breach of the order to the council. At that
stage the offender is in contempt of court and the council can start
proceedings against the dealer. At the subsequent committal hearing, an
immediate prison sentence of up to three years can be handed down by the
judge.
If the offender fails to attend the court hearing, the judge can issue
a bench warrant, giving the police the power to arrest them on sight.
In June 2003 the dealers were banned permanently from areas of North
Kensington. Despite the restrictions the four, considered highly dangerous and
instrumental in the distribution of class-A drugs, were back in the north of the
borough plying their trade within weeks.
However, armed with the exclusion order, the Council acted swiftly. Police
confirmed sightings of the four, leading the Council to set up a committal
hearing. Despite a series of time wasting hearings the four finally appeared in
court.
Changes to the law:
After monitoring this groundbreaking case, the
Government has modified its legislation. Local authorities are now empowered to
seek court orders with the power of arrest added to an injunction. This means
the police have the power to arrest a person for breaching an exclusion order.
In the first action of its kind anywhere in the country, the four were jailed
for six months each after breaching the exclusion order banning them from large
parts of the borough.
Their imprisonment sent out a clear message to all dealers that Kensington
and Chelsea was no easy target for drug pushing.
But equally this trailblazing approach paves the way for communities across
Britain to fight back against the crack dealers. And the message is that
imaginative policies and partnerships between key agencies can combat this
problem effectively.
We would be interested to hear your views about the crack cocaine problems
that have blighted our communities. Please email any comments you have to asb@rbkc.gov.uk.
Your feedback is invaluable to us.
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