Operation Hake was set up in early 2018 in response to complaints from the community of drug dealing and anti-social behaviour around Seven Sisters market and underground station. The operation is a great example of how a more long-term problem solving approach can often be best.

Previously local businesses were regularly reporting to the police that the benches outside the station and market drew groups to the area who were engaged in criminality and hiding weapons and drugs. The first thing to do was to remove these benches in tandem with Haringey Council and Transport for London.

The next step was to work with local stallholders and shops to make sure the goods they put on display on the street did not present opportunities to store drugs or knives, for example taping up drinks fridges. The Safer Neighbourhoods Team at Tottenham Green attended a great many meetings with local businesses advising on these issues and conducted Environmental Visual Audits at premises to advise on better CCTV, lighting – these measures led to a very marked decrease in the weapons and drugs being hidden.

Having made changes to the environment to discourage crime, the following phase was identifying the individuals causing the anti-social behaviour and criminality. Haringey officers have spent many long hours covertly identifying individuals so that they could be served with a Community Protection Warning which gives them the opportunity to stop their behaviour but which is then also followed by a Community Protection Notices if they don’t. To date the team have issued 10 warnings and eight notices banning certain individuals from the area.

But then comes the hard part! The notices have to be enforced and this involves plain clothes patrols and, where reasonable grounds exist, stop and search. Positive action has been taken for the community when breaches occur with 10 people arrested, 7 people summonsed to court for breaches and two Criminal Behaviour Orders applied for.

Haringey Council has also lent its valued support to Operation Hake and issued five Acceptable Behaviour Contracts to local authority tenants who are contributing to anti-social behaviour in the borough, which is a breach of their tenancies.

A huge amount of work has gone into Operation Hake, with many hours of recording information, statement writing and time at court so that positive action is taken against those causing misery to Seven Sisters’ businesses and residents. There has been a noticeable difference to the area with groups of males no longer loitering as they know the team can easily identify them and will take action each time they do.