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Not one person should feel unsafe when walking the streets of Barking and Dagenham whether that be during the day or at night. However, we know that many women have expressed concerns about safety in the borough. In 2021, we ran a survey where we asked women to let us know places they didn’t feel unsafe and why.

Over the last year, we have been working hard to input things to solve some of these issues and this has included:

1. invested and brought in a new Community Safety Enforcement Team of eight officers to crack down on antisocial behaviour (ASB)
2. increased enforcement patrols in ASB hotspots, such as Barking Town Centre and Dagenham Heathway
3. extending the hours the Community Safety Enforcement Team work, so patrols take place seven days a week and from morning through to night time
4. having weekly joint patrols with the police and regularly sharing information
5. increasing lighting in dark areas highlighted by residents
6. continuing to fund the Crime and Enforcement Police Taskforce that focus on specific issues that we ask them to
7. extended Barking Market to Barking Station to reduce ASB
8. in the process of overhauling our CCTV cameras and system

In January 2023, we will be launching our Safe Haven scheme, which will provide safe places for residents to go to if they feel unsafe while out in the borough. These safe places will be dotted around Barking and Dagenham and include places such as shops, cafes, libraries and more.

The safe places are currently going through training and will be ready to go live shortly. Keep an eye out for more information over the coming weeks.