Barking and Dagenham has seen a drop in overall crime, with arrests made using live facial recognition technology, according to a recent Metropolitan Police update given to the Barking and Dagenham Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday 2 July 2025.
Superintendent Biju Premnath, Head of Neighbourhood Policing for Barking and Dagenham, reported that the borough had the second lowest crime count in east London between January and April 2025. Live facial recognition deployments in Barking Town Centre and Dagenham Heathway have led to between 5 and 10 arrests on each occasion. These deployments are strategically implemented in high footfall areas, determined through community impact assessments.
Arrests and Convictions
Several high-profile incidents have resulted in arrests and convictions, including:
- The Whalebone Lane shooting, where three offenders were convicted and face an average custody of 19 years.
- The Longbridge Road stabbing, where four suspects were arrested and charged.
- A bomb hoax incident at Al Medina Mosque, where the suspect is facing trial.
Facial Recognition Technology
Chief Inspector Mohamed Mahmoud provided context on the use of facial recognition technology. He explained that in 2024, six deployments resulted in 29 arrests, and so far in 2025, five deployments have led to 26 arrests. These arrests were for offences ranging from domestic abuse to burglary.
Funded Team Achievements
Between 1 January and 13 June 2025, the funded team made 117 arrests for offences including robbery, burglary, theft, sexual offences, assaults and drugs offences. They also conducted 311 stop and searches, of which 90 resulted in a positive outcome. A 'positive outcome' is defined as the police finding something, such as drugs or a weapon, or making an arrest for some other offense. All other searches where nothing was found and no arrest was made are considered negative searches. The team seized 55 vehicles. The team was instrumental in tackling robberies in and around Parsloes Park making a number of arrests for robbery and knife possession, and made a number of arrests for burglary through the effective use of CCTV. They also focused on arresting wanted individuals with 40 arrests of those either wanted by courts or police, and issued and enforced a number of CPNs for ASB issues across the borough, working with the ASB team and assisted with CBO applications. The team also assisted the Heathway team with closure orders at Millard Terrace.
Community Engagement
Superintendent Premnath highlighted the launch of Met Engage, a new two-way system for sharing news and addressing community concerns. He encouraged members to assist in getting people to sign up for the system. He also mentioned a dedicated plan for Barking Town Centre, focusing on retail and street crime, in line with the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. This plan, launched by the government, focuses on reducing confidence to local communities, taking visible action around antisocial behavior, and increasing safety around town centers. It targets retail/business crime and street crime (violence in public space) through short-term enforcement options, long-term prevention, intelligence building with businesses, CCTV resource focus, and problem-solving approaches. A dedicated officer will focus on the town center footprint, and there will be targeted intensified activity around arrests and knife sweeps.
Challenges and Priorities
Despite the overall positive trend, there have been increases in personal robbery, theft from motor vehicles, business robbery, and hate crime. Police are focusing on problem-solving in areas like the Gascoyne Estate and Millard Terrace, as well as retail and street crime in town centres. Superintendent Premnath stated a priority is to focus on some problem-solving around some of the kind of longer-term entrenched issues that I've been made aware of in areas like the Gascoyne Estate and Millard Terrace.
Chief Inspector Mahmoud addressed concerns about motor vehicle crime, noting recent increases in the Heath and Wellbone area. Tactics being used include seizing stolen vehicles, arresting suspects, and using ANPR technology. He also clarified the regulations around e-scooters, stating that privately owned e-scooters are illegal on public roads and can only be used on private land.
Funding Shortfalls
Superintendent Premnath acknowledged the Metropolitan Police Service faces a significant funding shortfall for 2025/2026. The priority is to protect frontline services, including ward and town centre teams. However, other units and services, such as dog units, the mounted branch, roads and transport policing, and forensic services, are at risk.
Note: Councillor names and roles are as stated in the Agenda frontsheet Wednesday 02-Jul-2025 19.00 Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Public reports pack Wednesday 02-Jul-2025 19.00 Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
