Drug dealers on two estates in Hammersmith and Fulham are being targeted by police who have been given special powers to deal with the problem.
Drug dealers on two estates in Hammersmith and Fulham are being targeted by police who have been given special powers to deal with the problem.
The police have set up dispersal zones on the West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates which allow them to order troublemakers to leave an area immediately for 24 hours.
Anyone found to be in breach of it could face three months in prison or a £2,500 fine.
The conditions of the zone also give police the power to return any child under 16 to their home, or another safe place, if they are found within the dispersal zone between 9pm and 6am and not with an adult.
The action follows several complaints of drug dealing from estate residents to Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
Residents have also reported fights and being threatened.
Cllr Greg Smith, deputy council leader, said: “Cutting crime is one of the council’s main priorities and the dispersal zone backs up this commitment to the law-abiding people of the estates who have been afflicted by anti-social behaviour for far too long.”
He added: “We will not stand by and allow the drug dealers to make life a misery for the residents.”
“There has been an ongoing problem with drug dealing on the estate and it just seems to be getting worse and worse,” said an anonymous Gibbs Green resident. “We feel unsafe outside of our homes and even in our homes.”
They added: “A crime like burglary is a one-off but this kind of antisocial behaviour is continuous – it goes on and on and never ends.”
The resident also said that the layout of the estate, along with its secluded location, encourages antisocial behaviour and that the zone is a good temporary measure.
The zone will be enforced from midnight on November 5 until midnight on February 4 2013.
It includes the Gibbs Green Estate, Beaumont Crescent, from the junction of North End Road to Gibbs Green Close, and areas surrounding Churchward and Fairburn House on the West Kensington Estate.
Sergeant Robert Duneclift said the zone was a direct result of a partnership between the council and Hammersmith and Fulham Police, who have been listening to the concerns of the residents.
Sergeant Duneclift added: “This now gives us another option to consider when dealing with anti-social behaviour and criminality and should assist us in reducing both crime and the fear of crime within the community.”
Cllr Smith said the council will continue to work closely with the police to rid the estates and the borough of drugs.
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