Croydon’s notorious homeless camps have been axed as council sets up task force to make people feel safer

Two homeless encampments have been cleared in Croydon town center as the council cracks down on tents on the borough’s streets. The council also insisted homeless people were being treated with compassion after residents raised concerns about the permits.

The clean-up was carried out by a new taskforce which aims to tackle illegal littering and anti-social behavior on Croydon’s streets. The task force will be joined by the council’s new city center co-ordinator, Matt Duncan.

Duncan, a retired police officer, will help lead the council’s new taskforce as it tries to tackle the spate of anti-social behavior that has blighted Croydon town centre. Prior to Duncan’s appointment, the task force cleared two downtown encampments that drew particular public concern.

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One of the camps was positioned near the cash desk outside the Coop on Lansdowne Road, just a stone’s throw from East Croydon station. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that residents have previously complained that they felt unsafe when entering the store and trying to access the cash register.

At the other camp, a circle of furniture and detritus had formed behind a car park behind West Croydon railway station. In the weeks leading up to the clean-up, council officers placed a community protection notice on the railings behind the camp.

When asked by a member of the public on the Nextdoor app about how the council task force undertook the cleanup, Mayor Jason Perry pointed to using the notice to justify their actions. He said the notice gave the homeless person a warning that the area would be cleaned up soon and that they should move their belongings if they wanted to keep them.

In response to a question from James Harrison at Nextdoor, Perry commented, “Furthermore, our approach is to prioritize support and engagement before application. I was also reassured by Damion Hawthorne from our ASB team who was able to provide support to a struggling individual. with addiction and debts.

“He asked for help and was so grateful that he hugged Damion. This shows the sensitive nature of the council’s approach.”

Announcing the new task force on Tuesday (July 9), Croydon Council made sure to emphasize that empathy is at the heart of this new initiative. They said: “The task force has already successfully tackled two unauthorized encampments, clearing public areas, footpaths and underpasses, making them safer and preventing hazards to people walking nearby and local businesses.

“As they do this, they sensitively support everyone involved to prevent problems from reoccurring. The task force also recently provided full support to a person who required urgent medical care during another incident.

The taskforce involves the council, local businesses, the police, child and youth engagement services, the community, the voluntary and health sectors and support teams for homeless people and rough sleepers.

Community and voluntary groups involved in the taskforce include Croydon Reach, Croydon Voluntary Action and P4YE. They work alongside the council’s youth engagement team and its homelessness and rough sleeping support service – Change Grow Live.

According to the council: “They work in partnership to gather information and act quickly on concerns about anti-social behavior in the town center to ensure residents, businesses and people in the neighborhood can feel safe.”

While many Croydonians have long expressed concerns about safety in the town centre, news of the new task force has received a mixed response. One Nextdoor user, Tahir Shaikh, said: “A welcome move…albeit a bit late. Unsavory characters should be removed from emergency public spaces and areas.”

Others remain unconvinced that the new taskforce and its former chief constable will be able to tackle Croydon’s street crime problems. Nextdoor user Nick Lock responded to the council’s announcement saying: “It’s going to take more than a retired cop to solve the stabbing hub.”

Following the announcement, Perry said: “Residents are telling me they want to see improvements to the downtown environment, and we are listening and taking action. The taskforce will work much more closely together to make Croydon a cleaner, safer and healthier town. place for everyone, which is a top priority in my business plan. We also make sure the right support is available to those who need it and work with local businesses to understand the issues to prevent them from happening again.”

Andy Brittan, Chief Superintendent for South BCU, said: “The Met Police are committed to ensuring that everyone can enjoy every part of this large and diverse borough. We are already seeing progress working more closely with the council and key organizations to prevent Anti-Social Behavior We have recently increased our police presence in the city center to crack down on people carrying and using knives.

Shaun Webster, Director of Operations, Croydon Business Improvement District, said: “It is imperative that people in Croydon feel safe and welcome to shop, explore and enjoy our town centre. We welcome the opportunity to represent and support our businesses as part of this. the new task force enabling greater and more accessible information sharing with the police, council and other local partner organizations to deliver tangible results for our communities.”

Anyone who sees anti-social behavior in Croydon can report it to the police anonymously on 101. Concerns about someone sleeping rough can be sent to StreetLink which will connect them with local services.

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