Highly skilled enforcement officers will hit London's streets next week (Monday 17 October) to combat litter, flytipping, graffiti, abandoned cars and flyposting.
Environmental crime is regularly high on the list of concerns of Londoners and so Capital Standards, 28 London boroughs and the Mayor of London have responded to these concerns by dispatching the graduates of its street Enforcement Academy in a week long purge on anti-social behaviour.
The Street Enforcement Academy trains up borough enforcement officers so that they are equipped to use the powers available to them in environmental law to cut crime. The latest enforcement officers to finish their training will take part in a week long blitz targeting Londoners who are found dumping rubbish, dropping litter or doing graffiti. Offenders will be offered a £50 fine or face legal proceedings.
Simon Baxter, Chair of Enforcement for Capital Standards, said: 'Environmental crime is a plague that must be wiped out. Enforcement officers are the right antidotes: fully trained individuals who know how to handle the public - including the occasionally awkward ones - and know environmental law inside out.'
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: 'We are going to get a lot tougher on environment crimes like litter, flytipping, graffiti and flyposting because Londoners have made it clear that they regard living in a clean city as top of their priorities. The aim of this week is to show those people who thoughtlessly damage our environment that their activities will not be tolerated. 'But I also want to send a very strong message to those boroughs who have so far refused to take part in this London-wide clean-up that their absence from this campaign is just not good enough - Londoners expect a cleaner city.'
Justin Jupp, London Director of Encams who runs the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, said: 'seeing the enforcement officers out on the streets during the enforcement week will be a firm signal that environmental crime will not be ignored. I would like to commend the Capital Standards boroughs for working hard to make London's streets cleaner'.