11:08am Monday 23rd November 2009
By Elizabeth Pears
ENVIRONMENTAL criminals be warned — Haringey Council has launched street teams to help catch those involved in graffiti, littering and fly-tipping.
The uniformed street enforcement teams will patrol their designated patches and be the local authority's "eyes and ears" seven days a week, Haringey Council said.
They will report and respond to problems such as dumped rubbish and abandoned cars and deal with offences including fly-posting, dog fouling and illegal street trading will be dealt with.
Tactical enforcement officers will help the street teams deal with the most difficult instances of environmental crime.
Part of the new street teams job will be to talk to residents and businesses to find out about local problems and how best to tackle them.
They will also "remind people" and businesses about their responsibilities to keep their neighbourhoods clean and safe.
Councillor Nilgun Canver, cabinet member for enforcement and safer communities, said: "This new approach will ensure we can deal with local problems even more quickly and effectively. There will be a named officer for each ward and they will be a visible presence on our streets.
"They will also mean better co-ordination between services and will work with local residents, businesses and councillors to identify and deal with local problems. Each ward will have its own priorities."
Officers will have the power to issue fixed penalty charge notices (PCNs), compliance notices and cautions. And the council warned that repeat offenders may be prosecuted.
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