London Colney sets Neighbourhood Priorities

Tackling the anti-social use of vehicles at Starbucks is the new neighbourhood priority for the London Colney and St Albans East team following the latest priority setting forum.

Following feedback from local residents, it was agreed that the issues at Starbucks on the North Orbital Road in Chiswell Green and the surrounding roads including racing on the A405 and A414 require more resources from the local safer neighbourhood team.

Regular proactive and covert police patrols have already taken place. A cloned vehicle with no insurance was seized recently.

It has replaced the previous neighbourhood priority of anti-social riding of bikes where 69 vehicles were identified as being involved in Lye Lane, Bricket Wood and Napsbury Park, London Colney. 

Following targeted police patrols and neighbourhood officers issuing section warnings to 24 riders, the number of reports has significantly decreased.

If they are caught again – they risk having their bikes seized and crushed. Remember – it is illegal to ride off-road bikes on public roads and you must have insurance.  

Speeding, mobile offences and HGVs using restricted roads remained a neighbourhood priority at the meeting on 29 September.

More than 20 drivers have received traffic offence reports this year – which means they could be fined, sent on a driver’s improvement course or summonsed directly to court for excessive speed. A scooter has been seized under section 165 for having no insurance and words of advice have been given to seven e-scooter riders for using an e scooter in public.

Several targeted operations have already taken place to speak to drivers and officers have liaised with company bosses over HGVs using Colney Heath roads. However, it still remains an issue.

London Colney Neighbourhood Sergeant Mark Williams said: “We have listened to the local community and based on our own information, Starbucks remains an area of concern. We are doing everything we can to stop the anti-social driving – which is putting other people’s lives in danger at Starbucks but also spilling out on the A405 and A414. Please continue to let us know what is happening and we will deal with the situation robustly in partnership with Starbucks.”

Neighbourhood priorities are the local issues of most concern to the community that residents let us know about through echo and OWL feedback as well as information passed on to the local team.  Following action by the neighbourhood team, the priorities will be reviewed in four months’ time.   

Force priorities include burglaries and theft of, and from, motor vehicles and robberies.  We also have specialist safeguarding units, for example the Domestic Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit.

To receive police messages about a range of topics including burglaries, scams and missing people in your local area, sign up to OWL (open in window) or download the ‘OWL crime alerts’ app from your app store.

You can use our community voice platform ‘echo’ to let us know what you think we should be prioritising in your area. Your feedback will help towards shaping our local policing priorities, initiatives and campaigns. Visit ECHO (opens in a new window) and tell us your thoughts.