Shop staff threatened with acid attacks by thieves

Shop workers have been threatened with acid attacks, spat on and sworn at by thieves in east London.

The abuse happened in Harold Hill, Romford, a place residents described as "a playground for drug addicts".

Havering Borough recorded more than 21,000 notable offences in 2023, a crime rate which led to the Metropolitan Police introducing their Clear, Hold, Build (CHB) initiative in December of that year.

The force says it has since seen theft reduce by more than 40% and the council says local people feel safer - however, some of those we spoke to say they haven't noticed any changes.

At the heart of Harold Hill is Farnham Road, home to around 30 shops, a mix of independents and national chains.

Simon Ford, chair of the area's shop association, said: "Before December 2023 we had a massive issue with violence. Gangs would come in and threaten staff, saying if they come near, they will have acid thrown in their face, or if staff approached them during the shoplifting they would come back and meet them after work."

He added that the intimidation saw a number of shop workers leave the area.

Rita, who works in a shop in Farnham Road, said: "It's terrible, the shoplifting, the violence, approaching someone and knowing you could be stabbed. It's happening a lot round here.

"I've been spat on and sworn at, but I've never been hit. I actually feel sorry for them, some of them have got kids and just can't afford to live."

In December 2023 the Met Police introduced the CHB initiative to Harold Hill.

The three-stage plan, developed by the Home Office, "uses a data-driven approach to improve the local response in tackling serious and organised crime threats in specific locations", the Met said. It is currently in place in eight locations across London.

The first stage, "Clear", sees an increase in resources as police tackle an area's most prolific offenders.

Acting Ch Insp Charlie Routley, who works in Havering's safer neighbourhoods team, told BBC London: "We had a list of between 10 and 12 offenders that were causing 45% of the crime.

"Not just shoplifting, they're responsible for antisocial behaviour, be it drug-related theft such as vehicle crime or burglary. It's not just a shoplifting, it goes much, much further beyond that."

The area patrolled included two wards, Gooshays and Heaton, where the Met says it has since seen a significant reduction in crime including shoplifting, violence and residential burglary.

The force added that this was not just about moving the problem on, instead criminals are directed towards a number of support services to prevent reoffending.

"Historically, we've tried to arrest our way out of this problem and you can't really do that," Routley said.

"We've got partners involved from the council's health, drugs and alcohol [services] providers. We need to break that cycle of offending, understand the root causes of it and divert them away into drugs and alcohol schemes."

Once a sustained decrease in crime is recorded, the force enters the "Hold" phase of the plan, something which began in Harold Hill in July 2024.

Councillor Ray Morgon, leader of Havering Borough Council, said CHB was having really good results.

"There's been a massive reduction in antisocial behaviour - we have a 50% reduction in some cases - people in the local area feel a lot safer and happier," he said.

However, a number of local residents told us they had not noticed any changes.

One woman who did not want to give her name said: "We've seen people get stabbed, their faces slashed in front of kids, and nothing gets done. Every day we have 14-year-olds driving cars around.

"I do have sympathy with the police, they do their job and I have a good relationship with them, but we need more officers.

"I wouldn't say they've made any progress here, the kids are running riot and how do you expect three officers to control them?"

One man told us shoplifting in the area "has not changed one iota" while another said he had noticed a "very slight" reduction.

On 28 February the force was due to launch CHB's final stage, "Build", a phase in which community groups are engaged with to try to prevent reoffending.

Jan Sargent, who works in a community centre in Harold Hill, says that the scheme has greatly improved relations.

"For young people it was a once a case of 'us and them' (the police) and they would only encounter them if they got into trouble," he said.

"But this is all positive, the young people recognise the officers and say hello to them in the street. It's built up a fantastic relationship, which is phenomenal."

Simeon Dennis is a mentor with Youth Unity, a group helping the community by offering a range of activities to keep young people engaged.

"The Met commission us to be here, we're very on-board with CHB and are all pushing in the right direction," he said.

"We need more youth clubs, more stuff for the kids to be engaged with, not sitting at home twiddling their thumbs and getting up to stupidity on the streets."

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