A joint two week operation to crack down on crime in Barking town centre has resulted in a major clampdown on crime and anti social behaviour in the area.

A joint two week operation to crack down on crime in Barking town centre has resulted in a major clampdown on crime and anti social behaviour in the area.

Police and council enforcement officers teamed up to crack down on street drinking, drug related activities, aggressive begging, and intimidation.

Almost 900 officer hours were invested in the streets around the town centre, which saw three arrests, including two for breach of court orders, the discovery of a knife hidden in a cemetery, and 298 alcohol seizures and Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN), amounting to an average of 21 a day being issued to offenders breaking the area’s restrictions.

The town center has been subjected to a PSPO since March this year, which gives police and council enforcement officers the power to issue £100 on-the-spot fines to offenders committing certain activities such as urinating in the street or spitting.

Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety, councillor Margaret Mullane, said: “We are determined to clean up our borough and send a clear message to the small minority of people who continue to flout the law and cause misery for others: we will not stand for it and we will catch you.

“We’re pleased this joined-up approach has proved to be so successful and we will look to carry out further operations in the future as part of our zero-tolerance approach to crime and anti-social behaviour.”

The two week clampdown saw teams use stop and search powers 31 times and dispersal notices 38 times, which allows police to banish offenders from the area completely for 24-hours.

Anyone caught returning could be arrested.

A spokesman for the Met Police said: “This joint initiative was a great success and was well received by the local community. It demonstrates that where the community has concerns, and these are flagged to police, we will work with our partners to address such concerns.

“Officers from the Metropolitan Police will continue to work in partnership with Barking and Dagenham Council to make the borough a safer place to live, shop and work.

Residents can expect similar operations to take place at differing locations, prone to anti-social behaviour throughout the year.”