Making Greenwich the place to feel safe in and proud of
This theme is made up of three outcomes:
- people are safe from serious violence and exploitation
- fewer people experience anti-social behaviour and residents feel safe in their neighbourhoods
- public spaces are clean, attractive and a source of pride
What we want to achieve
Our vision for 2050 is a borough where:
- everyone is safe and feels safe
- streets are clean and green
- our parks, playgrounds and open spaces are loved and used by everyone.
Residents have told us that crime and anti-social behaviour are the most important issues facing the borough, and that our parks and green spaces are among the things they value most. This theme sets out what we will do over the next four years to act on both.
Progress we've made
Over recent years, we have:
- strengthened our approach to prevent and tackle serious violence, bringing partners, communities and young people together
- launched the Serious Violence Strategy, focusing on prevention and early intervention and understanding the local causes
- worked with young people, communities and the police to raise awareness of knife crime, signpost them to support and encourage people to drop the knife
- introduced weapon surrender bins across the borough taking 662 weapons of our streets in 2025/26
What's next
Serious violence still has a devastating impact on young people and families in our borough.
About serious violence
In Greenwich there have been 438 knife offences in the past 18 months (2025 to 2026) and three teenage boys were murdered through serious violence.
We're working on prevention and making positive change by:
- reaching young people early
- supporting violence-prevention programmes in schools together with mentoring, sports, self-defence and trauma support for those affected by serious violence
- helping to steer young people away from harm and towards positive opportunities
- listening to young people and communities, work closely with our partners, and focus on education to achieve lasting behavioural change
About domestic abuse
Around one in four women experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. In 2024/25 there were 3,496 domestic abuse offences in Greenwich reported to the police, 13% less than the previous year. However, domestic abuse offences in Greenwich remains above the London average and is the seventh highest of the 32 London boroughs.
The Working Together to End Male Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy will be key to address this and set priorities including:
- addressing the causes of sexism and male violence, male accountability and cultural change.
- supporting and empowering men and boys to challenge harmful attitudes to help end violence against women and girls
- having access to positive male role models that model healthy relationships and shape attitudes from an early age
About anti social behaviour
We have invested and enhanced our approach to tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB), responding to residents’ concerns through targeted investment in community safety.
In a 2025 resident poll, crime and ASB were identified as the most important issues facing the borough. There were 6,414 recorded ASB incidents in 2024/25, and rowdy and inconsiderate behaviour accounted for 60% of them.
To deal with this we have:
- expanded our team of Community Safety Enforcement Officers
- installed new CCTV
- strengthened our Integrated Enforcement model to deliver smarter, locally driven enforcement
We will not tolerate those who harass and intimidate others in our town centres and public squares. We will tackle those who break the rules, and work closely with the police to stop this.
About fly-tipping
We want our residents to feel proud of their environment and local area. Fly-tipping is a problem in the borough and makes our public spaces and neighbourhoods unclean and look neglected. It costs over £800,000 of taxpayers' money a year and, since 2021, 3,218 tonnes of fly-tipping has been collected and cleaned.
To tackle this we have invested £5 million to monitor, investigate and clear fly tips and increase fines for those who are caught and prosecuted.
About our parks and community centres
Greenwich has a large network of parks, playgrounds and sports facilities which mean a lot to our residents. They improve physical and mental health by supporting physical activity and access to nature, alleviating stress and stimulating social connection and cohesion.
We need to keep them in use and loved, while providing spaces that bring communities together and protecting them for generations to come.
We will also invest in community centres and support community-led improvements that enable residents to shape and improve their local areas, with the hope of fostering a sense of pride and belonging.