A mobile phone app that enables shopkeepers to tackle a wave of street crime has already led to arrests and drugs being seized.

Haringey Council has set up a “business crime reduction partnership” using a dedicated mobile phone app to tip police off when there’s trouble brewing in the Bruce Grove area, which has been plagued by drugs and street crime.

The app makes it easy to fast-track crime reporting and get alerts when persistent trouble-makers are spotted.

Police were alerted to one incident, which led to five arrests and class-A drugs being seized in an operation in November at Holcombe Market by the traders taking part in the scheme set up by the council.

“Crime is a major issue for small businesses,” Cllr Ruth Gordon said. “Many of them feel that reporting crime has always taken too much time and doesn’t improve things. But our pilot scheme in Bruce Grove has had some positive results for businesses.”

The local authority is urging traders to report trouble immediately so that police can be mobilised.

Cllr Gordon added: “This scheme is sending a clear message that if it’s reported then the council and police will act.”

One of the businesses involved in the Bruce Grove pilot scheme is Mobilyum furniture store at the Grove business centre in Tottenham High Road.

Its owner said: “There has been an increased police presence around the High Road over the past few weeks, giving a sense of safety and confidence among businesses. It has had a positive impact in Tottenham.”

The Bruce Grove pilot scheme could be expanded to other areas of Tottenham and to Wood Green and Harringay. Traders use the app, called DISC, to make crime reports quickly and get back alerts about risks and repeat offenders spotted in their shopping district.

Bruce Grove has a high-density population of 15,000 - more than the average Haringey or London neighbourhood - which expanded rapidly when the original Stoke Newington and Edmonton Railway opened in 1872. The area is famous for Bruce Castle and its Round Tower dating back to 1864, Tottenham’s only Grade I-listed buildings.