Forum Topic

West Ealing

Am I the only person who sees the overt drug dealing in West Ealing in the middle of the day? Why is nothing being done about this and surely this is slightly more important to our community than fried breakfasts (no offence intended)?

James Brown ● 5631d24 Comments

Have you reported what you have seen?Dare I say, if not, why not?

Nigel Brooks ● 5631d

Yes to the CSO's on several occasions.

James Brown ● 5631d

As nothing then seems to have happened despite your reports I would escalate this to the Sergeant of the Safer Neighbourhood team for the area (depending on which part of west Ealing it is) and copy in the local councillors as well.

Nigel Brooks ● 5631d

WEN have reported it to the Police, to no avail. They just don't appear to be interested.

Diane Gill ● 5631d

Escalation is obviously important Nigel but I am at a loss as to what the CSO's and Police are actually doing in the area - if I can see it going on in broad daylight on  regular basis, why can't they or are they simply choosing not to?

James Brown ● 5630d

Time to get the local Councillors involved in the escaltion IMHO.

Nigel Brooks ● 5630d

Maybe Ealing Today's editor might herself ask the Police to respond to these observations of daylight drug dealing in the centre of West Ealing?

Eric Alan Leach ● 5621d

EricIt'd be better still if the SNT officers http://www.met.police.uk/teams/ealing/index.phpwould come on here (as they do in Acton and Chiswick) and engage in these discussions.I can certainly stick a request in.Annemarie

Editor ● 5621d

A couple of months ago in the early evening a gentlemen cycling along Warwick Road past TVU slowed down and as I was crossing te road asked me if I wanted to buy any green stuff from him. Bicycling drug street peddlars?

Marc Races ● 5621d

The police may be much more interested in the background supply chain, they may already have sufficient evidence on the front dealers, considered to be disposable by the background suppliers.

Chris Bell ● 5621d

I have requested local SNT contribution - but it is up to the individual SNT officers themselves whether they want to join in forum discussions - many don't because they 'don't have media training'.The advice from the police media dept:' I would encourage anyone on the forum to contact their local Safer Neighbourhood team about drug dealing or any crime related activity in their area to ring 0300 123 1212 and they will then be put through to their local team.''Annemarie 

Editor ● 5619d

'....don't have media training'.Well that really does take the biscuit.As for the advice from the Police Media Department, I know two people who have witnessed this drug activity; have reported it to the Wapole SNT; had no feedback; and the drug activity has continued.The questions raised here include:1. The SNT or Met Police has tried and failed to curtail this drug activity.2. It's SNT or Met Police policy not to interfere with this drug activity. Anyone else got any good ideas as to what to do next?

Eric Alan Leach ● 5619d

EricI have noticed that the Elthorne Team are improving regularly in their communication skills when they present to Resident groups and so I think there is no reason why they should not start to engage.Continual encouragement and perhaps a nudge from our Commander after a request to him from our esteemed editor may move things a little further forward.  Annemarie??

George Knox ● 5619d

George/Eric and allHave you seen this apparent web link to Ealing Commander Andy Rowell?http://cms.met.police.uk/met/boroughs/ealing/04how_are_we_doing/news/direct_access_to_the_ealing_borough_commander_andy_rowellWorth raising concerns here? Although the Q and A section looks somewhat forlorn at the moment. Annemarie

Editor ● 5619d

Hi all,Why not send them (Walpole Team) an email? Walpole.snt@met.police.uk. This way you have a written record and something more tangible than "a mention" to a CSO.More details on your local Safer Neighborhoods Teams including contact details and weekly drop-in surgeries can be found here.  http://www.met.police.uk/teams/ealing/walpole/ with a nice postcode finder thingmy too.They can print off an email/forward it/wave it under the nose of the person tasked to do something about it. I'm just suggesting that it's easier to follow up a written record of your contact than a chat with an organ grinders monkey.Make your Police work for you, you pay for them after all.Frank

Frank Lake ● 5618d

HiI'm an SNT officer for Elthorne ward.  We border Walpole ward (and share an office with them) and have most of the north side of the uxbridge road in West Ealing (including the Green Man estate). We are well aware of the drug problems in the area and i'd like to completely refute the notion that we're not interested in tackling them.  Our PCSOs spend a good part of their shift out and about on their bikes looking for people engaging in this sort of activity. We also conduct plain clothes patrols hoping to catch people in the act.  We've had some very positive results.If there is regular dealing going on at a specific place and time then trust me we would be VERY interested in hearing about it.  Please call the number on the website with the details if you know anything.Please also remember that there is one sergeant, two pc's and three pcso's per ward and we have many other things to deal with such as neighbour disputes, anti-social behaviour, meetings to go to etc.  However tackling drug dealing in west ealing is certainly a priority for us.

SNT Officer ● 5618d

Top marks for attitude.Thank you very much for your posting and I do hope you will be able to do this from time to time on a rolling basis, as well as answer some of the specifics when they arise. It is so important for good relations with our local police.According to your website for Elthornehttp://www.met.police.uk/teams/ealing/elthorne/the tel no is shown as 020 8721 2951

George Knox ● 5618d

Well there were certainly Police around West Ealing this morning..near the Uxbridge Road junction with Northfield Avenue.Two PCSO's were walking casually into Dean Gardens on the look out no doubt..and they were probably unaware that 50 meters up the road (westwards) some eight Police officers were surrounding a couple of difficult looking youths in a small black car.Why was I there? Continuing my travels after a wonderful "greasy spoon" breakfast at Nells, of course!So don't knock the Police :o) and certainly not knock traditional english breakfasts!

Jim Lawes ● 5617d

Many of us are not knocking the Police - but we are asking them to carry out their job. I have the greatest respect for the Police in crisis intervention and significant personal experience in the quantity and quantity of responseWest Ealing Neighbours has complained FOR YEARS about blatant drug dealing and drug taking in the centre of West Ealing and it has not been eradicated. It is endemic and any attempts to revitalise the centre of West Ealing without eliminating these activites are doomed to failure.I welcome the Police entering comments on this thread. But it's unacceptable for them to suggest that residents are at fault because of failure by them to report the problems. It's as though an earthquake occurred and the Police failed to act because no-one called them with specific details of the location of collapsed buildings.Do we have to resort to Vigilante groups or employing private security/police organistions to deal with this problem?The Police are not blind and they must know that these activities are happening every day.Some comments by Walpole and Elthorne Councillors would be very welcome here. There are six of you after all.

Eric Alan Leach ● 5617d

A part of the problem of course is that the Police are carrying around a great big flashing neon sign in the form of their uniform which is keenly watched for and acts as a giant heads up to the druggies to 'get the hell out of there'.Thus, absent regular reports from the citizenry, it is entirely possible that the extent of the issue is not as quite as clear to them as it might be.Ergo - keep calling in the sightings!

Tony Colliver ● 5616d

Or maybe a little creativity in how to deal with it? How about some cameras around Green Man Passage, the Lido etc.I appreciate we are a heavily "watched" nation but in this instance some cameras would surely provide some evidence and also signal that we are serious about the problem.

James Brown ● 5616d

The single camera covering the Uxbridge Road in Hanwell certainly never misses a parking infraction - no matter how briefly the offender loitered for.Should a similar camera make an appearance in West Ealing perhaps we could look forward to the same ruthless efficiency from the technology in the pursuit of the 'War on Drugs'!

Tony Colliver ● 5616d

Police in plain clothes?It has been tried before - probably for over 100 years.

Eric Alan Leach ● 5616d

Cameras are even more covert than cops in mufti.

Tony Colliver ● 5616d