Friends of Finsbury Park is urging Haringey Council to lock the gates to the 110-acre open space at night, saying shrubs have been ripped apart by people having sex in bushes and drug users.
Parts of the park are cruising spots used by gay men, and the friends group says some areas are littered with condoms, soiled tissues and ripped men’s clothing, as well as human excrement, needles, hidden knives and the remains of fires.
The group’s chair Katie Dawson said witnesses had seen “mass orgies” in the park, with large numbers of naked men cavorting in shrub beds.
Others have reported sex and drug taking until the early hours of the morning.
“It is not appropriate for residents to come across this or for children to play in a space that is littered with sex and drug debris and human excrement,” she added.
The group said Haringey Council’s dismissed its previous requests to lock the park, something Ms Dawson said was “urgently needed”.
Katie added: “This is dangerous to park users. The crime at night is a long standing problem. They are wrecking the park.
“The destruction of the shrubs where birds nest is a wildlife crime.”
Cllr Emily Arkell, Haringey Council’s lead member for culture and leisure, said it would only consider locking the park in exceptional circumstances as there is no legal requirement to do so.
She said since the pandemic, the council was determined to keep Finsbury Park “as accessible and open as possible” for commuters and those who exercise there in the mornings and evenings.
She said the council was working with the Metropolitan Police and had installed CCTV cameras and overhead lighting as well as increased staff presence and patrols to prevent anti-social behaviour.
She added: “It is essential that everyone feels safe inside Finsbury Park and we have taken – and continue to take – strong steps to ensure that remains the case.”
She urged anyone who witnessed anti-social behaviour in Finsbury Park to report it to the police by calling 101.
