Julia Lopez MP yesterday joined with local traders and police officers in Farnham Road as a new Home Office ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ project for the area ends its second month of operation.
In December, Havering Police hosted the formal launch of the project, delivered in partnership with local police, Havering Council and community groups at an event in MyPlace. Following a three-phase initiative developed by the Home Office, the project will see police work with the community to root out persistent crime. Focusing on Farnham Road and the surrounding area, officers will ‘clear’ the area of criminal activity via targeted operations, then work with partners to ‘hold’ the area, and then ‘build’ with the community ways of tackling the problems driving criminal activity to stop it returning. A similar scheme in West Yorkshire saw a 57% reduction in burglary, with a 27% reduction in drug offences and a 38% reduction in antisocial behaviour.
The Hornchurch & Upminster MP met with the Chair of the Farnham Road Shopkeepers Association, Simon Ford, Inspector Charlie Routley, the tactical lead for the project and local traders to see first-hand how the project is helping to support shopkeepers and make the shopping centre safer for visitors and traders alike. As part of her visit to Farnham Road she also met the owners of Funland VR Amusement, who are officially opening to the public this weekend, to see the new entertainments they are bringing to the shopping district.
Commenting after the visit, Julia Lopez MP said:
‘I am very grateful to Simon Ford, Inspector Routley and all those passionate about improving the shopping area for taking the time to tour the Clear, Hold, Build project area with me this morning. In my regular discussions with the Superintendent and BCU Commander I have highlighted a number of constituency cases in this location and I am very pleased to see the initiative shown by local officers in launching one of the first Clear, Hold, Build projects by the Met.
It is clear from my discussions with traders this morning that they very much support this Home Office initiative and that the project is already having a significant impact, with over 150 cannabis plants worth over £100,000 recovered by officers just days after the project launched in December. The police's targeted actions has also seen one of the most prolific shoplifters operating in Farnham Road arrested and recently receive a custodial sentence. I look forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure that we maximise the potential of this project and, to assist in the ‘build’ phase of the program, have written in support of an application for lottery funding to help secure a brand-new counselling provision for a nearby youth club operating from the MyPlace Centre.’
