The pandemic has been a strengthening of the community
by Ian Sygrave
A great deal has happened since 2019, much of it, of course, Covid-related. One of the very few positive things to come out of the pandemic has been a strengthening of community spirit and mutual co-operation. Many Ladder Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) members took part in volunteer schemes to help residents in their road who were self-isolating or in need of basic supplies. Numerous very localised groups of helpers also appeared, often communicating via WhatsApp. While some of those have since faded away as the need has diminished, it has definitely led to a greater sense of neighbourliness and community in the area. As the largest voluntary group in Harringay Ward, the LCSP has warmly welcomed many new members through these initiatives, and continues its role by means of regular updates and information sharing for the benefit of local residents.
We have been able to meet in person, once again, since September (2021) and obviously hope to continue to do so, with due care and attention to the well-being of our members who attend. Leaving aside Covid-related matters, the biggest issue which residents have brought to the LCSP over the past six to nine months has been the prevalence of overt drug-dealing and taking, especially in the Harringay Passage area. By the end of the summer this had reached very serious levels, with parents and children having to run the gauntlet of dealers and their customers, when on the school run.
At a very well attended LCSP meeting in September, residents expressed their concerns to Superintendent Chris Jones (in charge of neighbourhood policing throughout Haringey and Enfield) who promised to address the situation immediately, and also to make a return visit to the LCSP‘s November meeting to see how things had progressed.
Sure enough, the day after the meeting, police officers appeared in the Passage, a high visibility presence which has happily been maintained ever since. The situation has very much improved, although there is still work to be done and no room for complacency. One very positive development is that a new Town Centre Team of police officers (comprising 1 Inspector, 3 Sergeants and 21 PCs) began work on 6th December, covering the area from Wood Green Tube Station to the southern end of Duckett's Common (Lausanne/Frobisher Roads). This will relieve the pressure on our own local Harringay Safer Neighbourhood Team officers, and give them more time for patrolling on the Ladder roads and in the Passage. Further resources have also been made available for policing the area in and around Turnpike Lane. Overall, this is very welcome news for community safety.
The LCSP has also been very active over the past twelve months in the important areas of planning and licensing, keeping a close eye on late-night applications and new AGCs (Adult Gaming Centres) with banks of slot machines. Residents are rightly concerned about these premises, which can have a major negative impact not only on Green Lanes as a local high street, but also on vulnerable adults and young people.
These are complicated issues, with different sets of criteria covering planning, licensing and gambling regulations. For example, many of our members (and the public at large) do not necessarily realise that the automatic default position enshrined by law for new AGC applications, is to grant permission for 24/7 opening! It is therefore almost impossible to prevent an AGC from opening its doors, so the LCSP’s efforts have concentrated on reducing the opening hours. In this, we have been very successful; both of the new AGCs, which are located by the former Post Office, have had their daily hours limited to 9am – 11pm. While this is not ideal, it is a world away from 24/7. The LCSP, working closely with local councillors, the GRA (Gardens’ Residents’ Association) and the Green Lanes Traders’ Association, has been able to present a united front to the Council’s Planning officers and Licensing Committee.
These are the sort of key issues in which we can all make a real difference to the quality of life in our local area. The LCSP has also been busy in environmental matters, such as tree sponsorship, pollution monitoring and the responsible use of Finsbury Park. We have also successfully lobbied for CCTVs to monitor unauthorised HGVs rat-running on our residential roads. Indeed, traffic issues as a whole will very both with the impact of nearby Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and the promise by the Council of a thorough re-assessment of traffic volume and flow in our own local streets.
If any, or all, of these issues have aroused your interest, and you would like to join the LCSP, simply send an email to LCSP@blueyonder.co.uk and we will be in touch to welcome you