Residents fear an alleyway off Kiver Road is becoming a hotspot for anti-social behaviour. Nearby residents are worried for their safety, reporting the open use of class A substances, drug dealing in communal areas and dumping of unwanted items.
“It’s massively changed here,” says one local resident, “all the fancy cars keep coming and they just drug drop – crack users got into our gas cupboard.”
The alleyway has been covered in graffiti, litter and broken bottles. Residents fear that the dumped sofas and mattresses will attract rough sleepers, who have often slept in the surrounding areas of the estate in the past.
Last week, the police and Islington council met with a representative from the Peabody Trust, the housing association responsible for the site, to tackle the problem as part of a joint effort. As well introducing weekly cleaning, Peabody agreed to look into lighting the alleyway, replacing the smashed convex mirrors and installing CCTV.
At the same time, Tollington police will introduce their own measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour in the area. “I’m not particularly keen to let this escalate,” says Acting Sergeant Cesar Sanguineti.
He said that police will be taking a ‘hard’ approach, issuing ASB warnings and ultimately exclusions for repeat offenders. Now that residents have drawn attention to the location, Sargeant Sanguineti believes he will have more power to stop and search in the identified area.
A compliance officer for Islington Council stressed the importance of these preventative measures: “when you’re not committed, things go downhill.”
