29 Jan Hammersmith Broadway Ward Panel Meeting
Hammersmith BID were pleased to attend January’s Hammersmith Broadway Ward Panel Meeting, accompanied by our colleague from Safer Business Network (a BID-funded position in the Hammersmith BID area). The meeting was a chance for locals to meet with the Ward’s police Safer Neighbourhoods Team and air any concerns for Q1 2025.
Through our data and conversations from our regular business visits, Hammersmith BID was able to ensure that tackling theft (including shoplifting) remained a strategic priority for the local police team. The BID also fed back the experiences of retail staff and their customers; and lobbied for increased police patrols along King Street.
Hammersmith BID also raised the issue of increased retail banking crimes in the area. Sergeant Andreescu confirmed that in Summer 2024, a police operation that included visible King Street patrols resulted in decreased reports of this kind of crime. The police agreed to work with Hammersmith BID on training and resources addressing issues such as bank follow-offs and criminals coercing vulnerable bank customers.
The police team updated attendees on their activities during the previous quarter, including:
- Taking a multiagency approach – working in tandem with the Council, Hammersmith BID, and Safer Business Network amongst others – to crack down on aggressive begging and begging linked to organised crime. This resulted in several Community Protection Warnings and Community Protection Notices being issued.
- Making several arrests during a police operation targeted at shoplifters.
- Proactively patrolling the streets as a deterrent to antisocial behaviour and drug-related crimes.
- Executing certain drug warrants and obtaining a closure order for premises hosting illegal activities.
The team also provided the following statistics from Q4 2024:
- The crimes most reported in the Hammersmith Broadway Ward were: theft, violence against the person, public order offences and vehicle offences.
- For November 2024 specifically, the crimes most reported in the Ward were: antisocial behaviour, sexual harassment and theft from the person.
Hammersmith BID will continue to work with the police Safer Neighbourhoods Team to help tackle local crime.
Additional information
If you would like more information on the above, or any of our other Security & Resilience initiatives, please contact info@hammersmithbid.co.uk.