Romford Petition for CCTV

Residents at a Romford block of flats call for CCTV installation saying they currently "live in fear and feel unsafe."

19:50 10 April 2023

Residents at a Romford block of flats are asking the local council to install CCTV in their area saying they live in fear and "feel unsafe". 

Havering councillor David Taylor, who presented the petition at a full council meeting on 22 March, said that residents had to sleep with baseball bats and bricks by their front door as they were afraid of people breaking in. 

A shop worker who lives in the block said that residents would often report seeing people do drugs in the corridors.

She shared: “I don’t feel safe leaving my flat. I find it very difficult to go outside and the fact there are no cameras in the block of flats where I live, that makes me feel unsafe all the time.”

Another resident, who requested to be anonymous, shared the stress of having the block being raided by police. They said: “I have put multiple alarms, I know people who have put alarms… everybody is just so scared. We cannot sleep.”

A spokesman for Havering Council said: “Antisocial behaviour can be very upsetting and we take reports of drug use very seriously. We are always prepared to take strong action where there is unacceptable behaviour from residents."

“In the meantime, we continue to support Rotunda residents regarding this matter, as well as regularly working with Metropolitan Police and the council’s enforcement team to carry out patrols of the area to identify and prevent criminal and antisocial activity."