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An east London council will use dogs to sweep its parks for drugs and weapons under a new £8m ‘Anti-Crime Task Force’ unveiled on Thursday.
Under the new taskforce, Tower Hamlets enforcement officers will work with police to tackle drug-related crime, antisocial behaviour and search for drugs and weapons in parks and estates.
The task force will also target crimes such as phone snatching and bike thefts, and £895,000 for upgraded CCTV cameras and an increase in the number of council enforcement officers from 54 to 64.
The borough pledged to invest £4m in the scheme by 2026, on top of £4m already pledged towards its enforcement efforts since 2022 - saying it made the scheme the largest of its kind in London.
Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman said: “At a time when many councils have cut their budgets for tackling crime by millions, we are investing £8 million, more than any other local authority in London, leading the way in showing how councils can invest to make our communities safer.
“We’re launching our new Anti Crime Task Force to work closely with police partners to ensure that there is a visible on street presence across the borough, acting as a deterrent to those engaging in crime and antisocial behaviour.”
Council officials said the scheme would ramp up its efforts to clamp down on crime, pointing to 415 arrests by council-funded police officers since April 2022 and 2,357 fines issued for antisocial behaviour in 2024.
Met Detective Chief Superintendent, James Conway, who is in charge of policing in Tower Hamlets and Hackney, said he welcomed the new taskforce.
“We have seen the notable impact of this joint working over the past year, with Tower Hamlets now experiencing less violence, less robbery, less burglary and more prosecutions in key areas such as domestic violence,” he said.
“At the same time I know that too many people still feel unsafe and, for me, every crime is a crime too many.
“By investing in a partnership that works I know we can go further, delivering a safer borough for all those who live, work and visit Tower Hamlets.”
