Northumbria Police has closed down two properties in Gateshead after new tenants brought anti-social behaviour, crime, violence, and drug use to their new homes, making life hell for law-abiding neighbours. Closure orders were obtained on properties in Malory Place, near Gateshead town centre, and Brandon Gardens, on the Springwell Estate, following complaints from residents who felt unsafe in their own homes.
Police action on Malory Place
When a woman well known to local police was housed on Malory Place, officers quickly visited her and warned her about the consequences of continuing her previous behaviour. Sgt Elliot Richardson, of Northumbria Police's Gateshead East Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "When you get one tenant like that the whole street is blighted. It blights communities. When you think of anti-social behaviour you often think of bus stations and town centres and there's only so much we can do there. But at least we can keep people safe in their own homes. It's so important for people to feel safe at home. When you go in and lock the door you should feel safe. It's one of my priorities."
Within six or seven days of the tenant moving in, police found she had started bringing people from other crack dens in Bensham back to her property. Officers made daily unannounced visits to the flat, checking who was inside, why they were there, and what state they were in. The property also became a magnet for shoplifters who stole from the nearby Aldi on Sunderland Road and tried to sell their hauls at the flat.
Residents reported that families wouldn't let their children play out because people from the flat were lying in the street, and neighbours would not leave their houses. Pauline Gregg, 65, who lives on Malory Place, said life had improved dramatically since the closure order was granted last month. She said: "It was lovely before she moved in. Then she moved in and all hell broke loose. It was frightening. It's horrible not feeling safe in your home. You should be able to go home and relax."
Brandon Gardens closure order
A closure order was also granted for a property on Brandon Gardens, a cul-de-sac on the Springwell Estate, where residents saw their street blocked off by armed police officers and people arrested at gunpoint after a new tenant moved in. Sgt Richardson said groups of people started coming to the property day and night, banging on downstairs neighbours' windows to gain access, and drug dealers were turning up. He said: "Because they are drug users and dealers they end up fighting with one another. It's terrifying for residents who hear this going on. We had a lot of very violent incidents at the address."
On one occasion, after a fight broke out, a man staggered out with his face covered in blood and knocked on a female neighbour's door asking for help. The property's position at the entrance to the cul-de-sac, which houses a number of elderly people, meant residents were trapped in their homes as armed police attended incidents, and they had to walk past the troublesome neighbour and his associates daily.
Closure orders as a tool
Police in East Gateshead have obtained closure orders on around 60 properties over recent years. Sgt Richardson said: "We use closure orders if people are using properties to sell drugs. Drug dealers are not bothered about being arrested, but when we take their house off them they are bothered. It's such a brilliant power."
The closure orders mean only the landlord, emergency workers, and local authority staff can legally enter the properties over the next three months. Anyone else who attempts to gain entry risks arrest. The properties will then be handed back to their landlords.
