Locals complain of Finsbury Park drug and anti-social behaviour crisis.
Finsbury Park is a “holiday destination for drug dealers” because of police and council inaction, say residents.
Despite police claims that the crime rate has dropped, locals see brazen drug dealing and bike theft in the area, while the system to report the crimes remains confusing.
“I have lived in the area for 25 years and it’s never been like this,” said Jane Berthoud, a Marriott Road resident.
There were 849 calls reporting anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Tollington in 2024, up from 655 calls in 2023.
“It’s like San Francisco… Finsbury Park is a holiday destination for drug dealers,” said Mr Travers, who started a local petition for action against the drug crisis in Islington.
He added that crime was spilling into residential neighbourhoods like Tollington.
Locals were invited to raise their concerns at a “workshop” last Sunday with the council and police.
In February, the Met said they had made 600 arrests in the Finsbury Park area and seized over £200,000 worth of class A and C drugs, leading to a fall in crime.
But residents insisted this data did not make them feel safer. In the meeting, Ms Berthoud said she felt it was too dangerous to walk down a tunnel near her house at night.
She criticised the council for failing to invest in youth clubs, something she thought was driving the rise in ASB. Youth clubs have seen a cut in funding of 44 per cent compared to 2011 levels across London, according to City Hall data.
Islington had the highest number of ASB-related incidents in the capital, a report published in September last year showed. Its crime rate is 8% higher than the London average.
Ms Berthoud said that while she could see the workshop panel wanted to help, she felt that “nothing they [were] saying [was] very encouraging”.
She said she felt confused as to who to contact over issues, adding: “People have given up…when I look out my window and I see a drug deal, who do I phone?”
Another questioned which authority to call. She said the messaging was not clear as to whether the police or the council should be contacted.
Sgt Benjamin Eynon told the meeting that locals are to use the website Crimestoppers for reporting crime, as well as the Met website, alongside calling 101 or 999 in an emergency, and using Islington Council’s ASB reporting line.
A council community safety officer, Jonathan Gallagher, said: “Rest assured you are not dealing with two separate organisations” and that the police and council meet daily.
Adding that 20% of all crime in Finsbury Park dissipates into neighbouring wards, he admitted that the council’s response has not been good enough but encouraged residents to keep making calls despite “reporting fatigue”.
“People have given up”
Jane Berthoud, Marriott Road resident
Tollington ward has only two officers and two Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). They share two vehicles with other areas in the borough, an unmarked police car and a minibus.
Ms Berthoud said she has witnessed a drug deal every day from her house and is concerned about criminal activity happening so close to her local school.
She called for more police visibility as the only way to make a difference.
One resident of Corbyn Street said she had seen far more gangs of moped riders brazenly stealing bikes in the daytime on her road, arguing there was more to ASB than drug dealing.
Sgt Eynon also advocated for people to report crime more so officers could start “data-driven patrols”. He suggested callers keep a log of spotted drug deals over a week which they can report to police online.
He added that he wants to keep people updated on calls and stop those reporting feeling like they are getting nothing back.
In response to the concerns, Cllr Williams said that reports of ASB had decreased since November 2024 with only 49 reports in January 2025.
But the Metropolitan Police’s data shows that the area had reported 71 cases, suggesting a discrepancy between the two organisations.
Araminta Plumptre is a student journalist at City University with a specific focus on her reporting beat, Finsbury Park. Araminta has by-lines at ELLE magazine and experience at The Daily Telegraph she is interested in arts and culture writing alongside international journalism.
Jamie Boys is a student journalist from London. He is the beat reporter for Junction Ward, i.e. Archway, North London. He also has a by-line at the Standard. Jamie grew up in central London, but has lived in the USA and Australia. Jamie is a huge Chelsea fan and has had a season ticket his whole life. He has a particular interest in political journalism.