Residents in Shepherd’s Bush are feeling increasingly unsafe in their own neighbourhood as anti-social behaviour reports are increase.
Despite a fall in crime as claimed by Hammersmith and Fulham council, residents claim they are not seeing the results on their streets, with one house having their doorstep defecated on twice in as many months.
A group of residents have mobilised a petition in Shepherd’s Bush to try and address what they see as a black mark on the West London borough.
Nigel Singh, a resident of Shepherd’s Bush for three years, said: “It’s just not safe.
“I thought I was the only person of that opinion but we quickly found many people with the same view.
“We believe the council have neglected this area, and focused on other areas within the borough.”
The council stated crime is falling, with 845 fewer victims of crime in the borough in 2024 compared to 2023.
However, there has been a rise in reports of anti-social behaviour as illustrated below.
While it is early in the year, there does not seem to be a falloff in anti-social behaviour reports in 2025 so far.
Angela, a resident of Shepherd’s Bush for 28 years, said: “If people are being cautioned and then turning up the next day, there should be another level of enforcement or action that the police can take.
“It’s the same group of people and they come to Shepherds Bush because they know they can get away with it, and they have been doing it for years.”
Problems residents frequently complain about are public urination, open drug dealing and harassment.
Hammersmith and Fulham employ 72 law enforcement team officers who operate 24/7 in an effort to work alongside the police and discourage anti-social behaviour.
However, residents don’t feel that they have enough powers bestowed on them and simply do not work as intended.
Noor, who recently bought a flat in the area, said: “They might be pleasant as people, but they’re not effective.
“They’re kind individuals and they empathise with how we’re feeling, but actually the impact is very minimal.”
She added she was proud of her achievement of buying in London, but felt let down by the constant anti-social behaviour she had to endure, making her feel unsafe.
Resident Nigel Singh said: “We need to cure the cause, which is neglect from the council.
“If we can cure that, we don’t need as many police or LET officers in our area.”
The residents whose house which was defecated on wanted to remain anonymous due to fear of further attacks.
They said: “I’ve barely ever seen a police officer or law enforcement team in the area.
“The police need to do more.”
The petition doesn’t just address crime itself, but what it sees as the causes of crime and anti-social behaviour.
The signatories are calling on the council to do more to improve the high-street visually by incentivising landlords to fill empty lets, investing in better lighting, and more focused support networks for vulnerable people.
Police Sergeant Alex Orme spoke to residents of the ward and sympathised with many of the residents’ issues.
He frequently addressed the lack of funding afforded to his team to fight this sort of crime and stressed the importance of residents reporting issues.
Sergeant Orme said: “There is difficulty inside the [Metropolitan Police] assigning people to different areas, there is a gap that exists.”
“[The ward is] a through-road meeting point for people who want to do this [anti-social behaviour].”
The Metropolitan Police also pointed to the fact their figures were different to ones that the council might possess, and they were not able to man the area all hours of the day as their shift finished at midnight.
Hammersmith and Fulham council were contacted for comment.
Residents can sign the petition here.
Feature image: News Associates
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