 EHOs were called to a loud party in Newham |
A teenage girl who assaulted a female EHO responding to a noise complaint about a party has been given a 12-month conditional discharge.
The girl punched and kicked the EHO as she approached partygoers at a council house in Newham, east London, last year. She suffered a serious knee injury that required several operations. She has yet to fully return to work.
Richard Tacagni, noise and nuisance team senior manager at Newham Council, told EHN she went to the party at 2am with a colleague after the council received several complaints.
‘She could see some people sitting in the front garden and she asked them if they could lower the volume. At which point some others started to come out from the address. In the moments that followed she was repeatedly punched, knocked to the floor and kicked,’ he said.
She was then helped up by her colleague. They managed to get to their car and drive away ‘before anything else happened’.
Mr Tacagni stressed that the council had taken precautions to ensure the safety of its staff.
‘All the officers are issued with stab vests. They always work in pairs after 8pm and we always check if there are any warning flags against addresses. They look at doing a dynamic risk assessment after they park nearby so they can make a swift exit,’ he said.
Following a trial at Stratford Youth Court, the girl, who cannot be named, was found guilty of assault. She received a 12-month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £60 costs.
Howard Price, CIEH principal policy officer, said: ‘Incidents like this are, fortunately, rare but when they do occur, officers are entitled to expect the full support of their employers and the courts.’
Newham Council said it was applying to the County Court to evict the tenants in the council house where the party was held and the nearby council house where the girl lives.
Andrew Baikie, Newham’s executive member for housing, warned: ‘We will not tolerate violence and aggression towards council staff carrying out their duties. The council will take all action possible against the perpetrators.’
Council tenants, he continued, are responsible for the behaviour of their family members and visitors in and around their homes.
‘Tenants also have a responsibility to ensure they do not cause nuisance to their neighbours. Late night noise is a form of anti-social behaviour and will not be tolerated. There are no excuses and we will act against those who fail to show consideration to their neighbours,’ he said.