Community Protection Taskforce

The Redbridge Community Protection Taskforce tackle issues that matter most to you. We're charged with improving civic pride and clamping down on those who do not treat the borough with respect.

Areas of work we cover

Anti-social behaviour
Noise nuisance
Street begging
Street drinking
On-street prostitution and brothels
Public sexual harassment such as cat-calling, unwanted attention or touching
Enforcement of public spaces protection orders

Where does the team operate?

Our team work across the entire borough, responding to residents concerns and service requests.
We also proactively patrol the boroughs town centres, high streets and any areas covered by public space protection orders.

How we enforce

The Community Protection Taskforce officers have the delegated powers from the council to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNS) for a breach of the Public Space Protection Orders. They use Anti-Social Behaviour legislation to tackle persistent and prolific offenders.
The use of enforcement powers by the Community Protection Taskforce is carried out with due regard to national legislation and the enforcement concordat.

Body-worn cameras

Our officers wear and use body-worn cameras which record visual and audio information.
The use of body-worn cameras allows for the collection of evidence which can be used in prosecutions, the accurate recording of engagement with residents along with improving the safety of officers and residents.
You can find out further information on the use of body-worn cameras on our CCTV page.

Reporting to us

Before contacting us

Think about talking to your neighbour first.
People who cause a nuisance are often unaware of the effect that their activities are having on their neighbours.
The best way to deal with the problem is to speak (or write a polite note) to the person responsible to make them aware that they are causing a problem.

I still want to report

Please have the following information available so we can respond as quickly as possible to your complaint:

your name and address (we are not able to deal with anonymous complaints)
the address of where the problem is coming from - this is important
the name of the person responsible if you know it
the type of nuisance you are experiencing
when and how often it occurs

Please ensure the above are answered when reporting online, otherwise your complaint may be closed off.

Opening hours

Please call 07976398426 to report noise or anti-social behaviour happening now. The hours this number will be in operation is:

Fridays - 6pm to 2am
Saturdays - 6pm to 2am
Sundays - 3pm to 11pm

Outside of these hours please report using the anti-social behaviour form and a member of the team will be in touch. We aim to respond within seven days to all requests.

How we investigate issues

Initially, the officer dealing with your case will telephone, visit or email you to discuss the situation and find out exactly what/who is causing you a problem.
If we consider the person and/or activity to be unreasonable we will write to the person responsible to make them aware that their activities are causing a nuisance and ask them to stop.
Often people are not aware that they are causing a problem and we find that the initial warning letter stops it. Your case officer will keep you updated on the progress of your case.
If problems continue, we will then look to try and witness the nuisance after issuing the warning letter. Once we witness it we will look to serve an abatement notice or a CPW/CPN

On Fridays and Saturdays, our main priority is to attend to ongoing cases so we can obtain evidence for formal action or in the most severe cases, enforce legislation
We can investigate noise as a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990
We will try to resolve the problem informally, but can serve an abatement notice, breach of which is a criminal offence carrying unlimited fines
When determining nuisance factors such as time of day, frequency and duration of events are considered
We normally require diary sheet evidence when considering formal action
There is no decibel level above which noise is a nuisance, or time of day
It is the impact on the normal enjoyment of residents’ homes that is assessed, either in person or with recording equipment

What happens after serving a notice?

If the nuisance continues we have the following options:

Prosecution of the person responsible for not complying with the notice.
Seizure of noise-making equipment, under a magistrate's warrant in severe cases.
In the case of burglar or car alarms the council may enter the premises or vehicle, under a magistrate's warrant where necessary, and silence the alarm.
On conviction for not complying with the notice the council may request that the court make a forfeiture order permanently depriving the owner of any seized noise-making equipment.

Will I have to attend court?

In most cases, yes. In order to bring a successful prosecution the evidence of the person affected by the nuisance is important.
It will also provide you with the opportunity to explain how the nuisance affects you. Please bear this in mind when submitting a complaint as it will require your co-operation for formal action to be taken.

What if we can't take action?

We will take all reasonable steps to gather sufficient evidence to take your complaint further.
In some cases we will not be able to establish that there is a legal nuisance.
In cases where a private resident still wishes to take action they can consider the option of a private prosecution.

Antisocial Behaviour Plan

Our Antisocial Behaviour Plan provides an overview of our commitments and responsibilities. It incorporates the council’s vision towards tackling antisocial behaviour and promoting community cohesion.

View the Antisocial Behaviour Plan (PDF 6.36MB)

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