Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Why are the police and the council failing to do something about the anti-social behaviour on Duckett's Common?

I'd really like to know why the blatant drinking and drug dealing on Duckett's Common appears to be unchallenged by enforcement authorities.

As someone who passes by Duckett's Common often, and witnesses the congregation of groups of young men, who are clearly dealing (and if they aren't dealing then they are smoking weed) I can't believe this remains unchallenged.

As it gets darker and large groups gather, it also becomes intimidating. I have female friends who get cat-called and followed. A young friend was offered drugs as he cut through on the way to Green Lanes.

I know the Common has a brilliant and active Friends Group and I have been to some of their meetings but I fail to see why they can't place more pressure on the police to do something.

The councillors - such as David Schmitz - who are generally very good seem to lack the will or the teeth to tackle this problem.

Surely, it is possible to enforce a zero tolerance policy towards this behaviour before it spirals out of control?

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Permalink Reply by GillianM on October 6, 2013 at 22:31

I haven't been there for a while, and when I walked through on Friday I was really struck by how it does seem to be a magnet for every sort of badness in the area. It's a shame given that there are great facilities for kids and teenagers.

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Permalink Reply by David Schmitz on October 8, 2013 at 18:28

I've just had a message copied to me from the Council's Anti Social Behaviour Team which says that the court made nine Anti Social Behaviour Orders last week against particular individuals who frequent Duckett's Common. We have been promised further details of the orders which have been made, and I will pass them on when they are to hand.

These orders (which probably bar the named persons from coming to the Common and which give the court the power to impose a prison sentence of the orders are breached) are of course only the beginning and at best they do not address the problem of what we should be offering to our young people.

I'll be spending some time on this, and will be reading any postings which HoL readers may care to make.

David Schmitz

Lib Dem Councillor for Harringay Ward

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Permalink Reply by illyriafilms on October 8, 2013 at 21:51

Hi David,

Thanks for this information and for your continued work on this issue.

My worry is that, despite sounding all very impressive, the actual effect of all these ASBOs seems negligible. It's such a shame that it's one of the nicest summers and yet residents' enjoyment of the Common was blighted by a crowd of drug smoking/drug dealing young men who gather on by the basketball courts. And it appears nothing was done.

[Just to be clear, I know not all the people gathered around the courts are involved with drugs but the smell as you walk past the bike racks is unmistakable and there have been several moments of blatant drug dealing that I've witnessed....when I talked to a local police officer, he told me that they were trying to mimic the tactics in The Wire which would be funny if it weren't so awful]

The council and the police have done nothing effective to deal with this problem for the entire Summer. Isn't it such a shame given the amazing work the Friends Group have done to attract funding to the Common for the new play area etc that some parts of it are no go?

So could you tell me - are these new tactics you describe? Is this a change of strategy given the severity of the situation? Or is this simply the continuation of an ineffective plan to deal with the problem? And if so, who do we (as concerned residents who want to do something about this) contact?

Karen Alexander says that it falls under the remit of the Transport Police but do you have a name or a division? Who do we write to or contact? And why is it the council's ASBT team who are making the ASBO orders and not the police when it is clear that people are breaking the law or at the very least breaching the no-alcohol ban on the Common? Why are the the police so invisible in that area?

Thanks

Jon

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Permalink Reply by ant on October 9, 2013 at 8:59

Lots of police there last night questioning and searching people around the bike stands by the basketball courts, didn't see any one getting taken away though. Using tactics from The Wire might be true, gossip on the street is that they don't keep any stash there but phone up someone for each sale and have it delivered by bicycle and that way there's never enough there for the police to catch them with to bust them for dealing.

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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on October 9, 2013 at 9:28

Yup, that's what the guys who ride on the pavements on Green Lanes are doing. At least if they started busting them it would drive them onto the road where they belong.

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Permalink Reply by David Schmitz on October 9, 2013 at 12:49

Thanks, John. I have, in fact, just spoken to the police, and that is exactly what they're now doing.

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Permalink Reply by HoL Site Admin on October 10, 2013 at 16:01

The Police have sent us an update on their action on Ducketts Common.

Over 3 days last weekend in Ducketts Common five plain clothes officers made 3 arrests
Two were arrested for Possession of cannabis and one for Possession with intent to supply
There was also one Public Notice for Disorder issued (a fine) and One Cannabis warning
On Saturday night, a total of 24 individual bags of herbal cannabis were seized with a street value of £240

They apologised for not publishing this personally but technical difficulties meant they couldn't post on the site, however they are aware of this thread and the concerns raised.