Barnet (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A Colindale estate crime prevention initiative has led to a 33% drop in anti-social behaviour across Barnet, hailed as a major success by local authorities.
Police arrest offenders and remove them from the area as part of the “Clear, Hold, Build” policy. To guarantee that the problem doesn’t recur, officers then work over an extended period of time with other local agencies and community organizations.
The program started at Colindale’s Grahame Park Estate eighteen months ago, and Barnet was the first borough in London to test it out.
The estate was selected as one of the “first sites in the country” to test the program because it was “blighted by criminals,” according to Kaya Comer-Schwartz, deputy mayor of London for crime and police.
Both residential and non-residential burglaries have decreased by 50%, while requests for anti-social behavior (ASB) have decreased by 33%.
Councillor Sara Conway, chair of the safer communities partnership, which discussed the results last night (Wednesday 16th) at an overview and scrutiny committee, said:
“We have come on a journey from a point where it was a really bad situation 18 months ago, to something we can all be proud of.
I am looking forward to seeing how we can continue to ‘hold’ and ‘build’ here on Grahame Park to achieve further success together.”
Cllr Conway added the scheme had translated into a “very effective, collaborative, innovative, and creative local partnership”.
Highlighting this needed to happen “elsewhere”. She said:
“It’s had an impact beyond anything I and very very traumatised communities in Grahame Park over 20 years could ever have imagined and in my own ward of Burnt Oak.
In Burnt Oak ASB is down 65% in June there was one burglary where this targeted collaborative approach is delivered, it delivers.”
What specific strategies or interventions were implemented as part of the initiative in Barnet?
Barnet’s recent success in reducing anti-social behaviour and crime—especially in Colindale and across the borough—results from a coordinated package of targeted strategies. These interventions draw on best practice models and are tailored to local priorities.
This approach tackles high-harm areas by first arresting and removing offenders (“Clear”), then ensuring the area is stabilised and policed (“Hold”), and finally involving communities and partners in long-term regeneration and safety planning (“Build”).
The council, police, and local organizations work together in a “whole system” approach. This includes joint patrols, information sharing, and combined action plans against violent and anti-social behaviour.
Residents are invited to participate in neighbourhood safety audits and meet officers at Community Safety Hubs, increasing reporting and fostering trust between the community and authorities.