The ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ strategy at Colindale’s Grahame Park estate involves police arresting suspects and removing them from the area; followed by working long-term alongside other agencies and community groups to ensure the issue does not return.
Barnet was the first London borough to trial the scheme, which began 18 months ago.
Kaya Comer-Schwartz, deputy mayor of London for crime and police, said the estate was chosen as one of the first sites in the country to pilot the scheme as it was “blighted by criminals”.
The Metropolitan Police said 300 arrests for a range of offences were made in the ‘clear’ phase. In the first year of the project, violence against a person with injury fell by 11% and without injury by 9%, which has continued into year two.
There has been a 33% reduction in anti-social behavior calls and a 50% fall in residential and non-residential burglary.
Councillor Sara Conway, chair of the safer communities partnership, which discussed the results at an overview and scrutiny committee meeting on July 16, said: “We have come on a journey from a point where it was a really bad situation 18 months ago, to something we can all be proud of.
“I am looking forward to seeing how we can continue to ‘hold’ and ‘build’ here on Grahame Park to achieve further success together.”
Cllr Conway added the scheme had translated into a “very effective, collaborative, innovative, and creative local partnership”.
Highlighting this needed to happen “elsewhere”. She said: “It’s had an impact beyond anything I and very very traumatised communities in Grahame Park over 20 years could ever have imagined and in my own ward of Burnt Oak.
“In Burnt Oak, antisocial behaviour is down 65%. In June there was one burglary. Where this targeted collaborative approach is delivered, it delivers.”
