Joining Dame Diana Johnson on Leyton High Road, Bailey said he wanted more community support officers in the local area and less officers being taken out of the borough to police major events in the city, reports Marco Marcelline

The government’s minister for policing Dame Diana Johnson joined Leyton and Wanstead MP Calvin Bailey on a tour of Leyton today amid longstanding anti-social behaviour (ASB) and drug crime in the area. 

The visit, which included a stop at Leyton Custody Centre and a meeting with business owners in Leyton High Road, comes after Waltham Forest recorded some of the highest ABS rates in London last year, with 891 reported incidents in October alone.

Residents in Leyton and Leytonstone have been particularly affected, facing issues ranging from assaults, burglaries, muggings and arson, which have left many feeling unsafe in their own neighbourhoods.

Speaking to the Echo at Leyton’s Coronation Gardens today (18th November), Bailey said he wanted more community support officers in the local area and a reduction in officers being taken out of the borough to police major events in central London on weekends.

He said: “I’m trying to help the police make the case that fewer of their resources should be pulled out when there are events in the city. Part of the problem is that our boroughs; Newham, Waltham Forest, have grown so quickly that we haven’t had the same amount of resources going in. We think that we need a fairer deal, effectively.”

Describing the visit by Dame Johnson as part of “crucial step” in efforts to “secure multi-agency action” to tackle ASB, Bailey continued: “Local people have serious concerns about anti-social behaviour and crime, and putting a spotlight on this issue is a top priority for me. That’s why I’ve invited the policing minister to our constituency to witness firsthand the challenges we face.”

Speaking last month in parliament, Bailey told of residents who felt like drug users had “taken over” their neighbourhoods, leaving them scared to go out at night.

Long-time Avenue Road Estate residents previously told the Echo that they would see Class A drug users shooting up on staircases, and defecating within the estate.

Bailey said that drug users often worked together to evade cops by “posting lookouts on the streets and in upstairs windows” and hiding evidence of drug use before police could act.

A police officer attending the event today said a lack of resources hampered the Met’s ability to deal with ASB and drug issues effectively, despite efforts to be as present as possible on the ground. He said: “It’s definitely frustrating. The local community will report things and see us take action against it but the following day they may not see us again… obviously our resources are quite stretched. It knocks [residents’] confidence a bit; it’s like one step forward, two back.”

Meanwhile, superintendent Dan Card stressed the work that local police had been doing to counter crime since last year.

He said: “The team have worked really hard with the local community and when we compare July to September 2023 to the same three months this year, we’re seeing a 70% reduction in ASB and drug crime. In October there were 18 arrests in regards to Class A drug use in Leyton, but it’s a lot more nuanced than seeing a yellow jacket. For example, you might not see a copper on the street but actually that’s because they’re doing a closure order on a local drug spot or because they’re dealing with another issue someone else.”

Card added that the Met was “working really hard” to minimise abstractions from outer London boroughs to police events in the city centre. 

Speaking to the Echo, Dame Diana Johnson said she was moved to action after she saw Bailey make a “brilliant” speech in parliament about the issues Leyton residents were facing. 

“I was very struck by what he was saying. The thing that really impressed me was about the multi-agency working; the police and the council working together to deal with the problems here. I wanted to see the issues here for myself and meet the people who are affected.”

Asked how the government planned to support local police in their efforts to tackle crime in the area, she said: “We’ve got this 13,000 neighbourhood police officers guarantee that we put in our manifesto. This means PCSOs designated in a specific neighbourhood with a named police officer so people know who to go to.

“The specialism of being a neighbourhood police officer and knowing how to problem solve and work with local communities is a really valuable job to do for the police. London is difficult to police because of all the national events and reasons for abstractions, but the idea is to really push that neighbourhood policing model; people want to see coppers on the streets.”

The minister’s visit comes against a backdrop of persistent challenges in tackling anti-social behaviour and drug-related crime in London. In 2023/24, there were 37,554 drug offences recorded by the police in London.

The government have also pledged to introduce Respect Orders that will give police and local authorities the power to ban persistent offenders from town centres and high streets.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article included an incorrect figure (77% reduction in ASB and drug crime), this has been corrected to 70%.

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