In our regular councillor’s column, Grange ward member Chris Dey discusses rising crime

Since our election last year, Grange ward councillors Andy Milne, Terry Neville and I have been working hard on our residents’ behalf.

Sadly I feel the need to talk about crime and the 10% increase for the year to end of January, against the backdrop of a 1% increase for the rest of London. Enfield now has the highest level of serious youth violence with 393 incidents, higher than any London borough. This is an increase of 5% while some boroughs have seen a significant year-on-year reductions such as neighbouring Barnet (down 13%).

In meetings last year I asked the head of community safety at the council what lessons can be learned from boroughs where youth violence has reduced. I was very disappointed to learn at the January meeting of the council’s crime scrutiny panel that they had not been to other boroughs to find out.

The biggest crime issue specifically affecting our residents is the increase in break-ins and car theft. Grange Park Residents’ Association convened a meeting of the Grange ward police team and local councillors in February. This was held at St Peters Church in Grange Park and was attended by around 200 people, all of whom are very worried and concerned about the increase in this particular crime. There were 2,474 incidents of residential burglary in the borough, a 16% increase on the previous year.

The Enfield borough commander and her senior leadership team need to do more to tackle both of these vital issues, along with the relevant council officers. At the moment it is my opinion that residents are being short-changed, and we will continue to raise this issue until a resolution is found.

As the three Grange ward councillors we will be writing to the borough commander to request a meeting to discuss how residents’ concerns can be addressed.

Cllr Dey is one of three councillors elected to represent Grange, alongside Andy Milne and Terry Neville (all Conservative).
Call 0208 379 3376
Email [email protected]
Tweet @grangewardtory

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.