Anti-social behaviour on Harlesden High Street is being addressed through targeted police operations and community initiatives, Brent Council has confirmed.

At a council meeting on Monday 10 November 2025, Councillor Harbi Farah, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, Jobs and Skills, responded to a public question about the issue, outlining a series of measures being taken to improve safety in the area. The response detailed police operations in the area, including targeted patrols and dispersal orders.

Dispersal orders, which give police the power to direct individuals to leave a designated area if their behaviour is causing harassment, alarm or distress, were authorised on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th October 2025. According to Councillor Harbi Farah's response, this resulted in 11 people being dispersed and 2 Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) being issued to those who were street drinking.

Councillor Harbi Farah's response also encouraged local businesses to join the Safetynet Radios initiative to help improve community safety in Harlesden Town Centre. The meeting information does not provide details on how to join the initiative.

The council's response also highlighted the challenges of addressing anti-social behaviour in Harlesden, noting that it remains a challenging hotspot due to underlying vulnerabilities that act as a catalyst for repeat offending.1 Brent Council says it is committed to understanding the underlying drivers of crime, addressing concerns, and improving safety in the ward with early intervention and a public health approach. The council will continue working with schools to guide young people away from crime and will commission outreach services to support individuals with complex needs.

The council addresses crime in the locality through the Brent Joint Action Group (BJAG). The problem-solving panel uses a multi-agency approach, comprising statutory agencies such as the Police and Brent Council, as well as voluntary agencies, to discuss crime in specific areas or locations and to resolve or mitigate problems.

Harlesden Safer Neighbourhood Team and Harlesden Town Centre Team have conducted mini operations with targeted patrols, such as:

  • Op Blandway involving patrols around the wider area, as opposed to just combat robberies and serious violence across the cluster.
  • Op Kirvin involving several operations with shops that suffer a high level of theft. The operation involves plainclothes officers working in collaboration with the shop's CCTV room. During this operation, six arrests were made. High visibility patrols to tackle ASB and robbery, with some shifts dedicated to licencing checks on licensed premises.
  • Op Mop up involving early morning covert patrols to tackle drug-dealing hotspots in Harlesden town centre.

These operations led to the execution of drug warrants, resulting in closure orders for one commercial and four residential properties. The meeting information does not provide further details on the results of the drug warrants beyond the closure orders.

  1. The meeting information states that Harlesden remains a challenging hotspot due to underlying vulnerabilities that act as a catalyst for repeat offending. However, the specific vulnerabilities are not detailed. https://democracy.brent.gov.uk/documents/s153590/07.%20Final%20Questions%20from%20Members%20of%20the%20Public%20BYP.pdf