Last Thursday, I attended the Plumstead & Glyndon Ward Panel Meeting with residents, Adventure Play Centre staff and police officers. The message was clear: crime is increasing, and removing the free, supervised Adventure Play Centre will only make matters worse.
📊 Recorded Glyndon Crime Figures
2024–2025:
Nov 2024: 6
Dec 2024: 4
Jan 2025: 5
Compared to 2025–2026:
Nov 2025: 9
Dec 2025: 9
Jan 2026: 12
January has more than doubled year-on-year.
📊 Recorded Crime Trends in Plumstead & Glyndon
🔹 November 2024
219 total crimes
Violence & sexual offences: 76
Anti-social behaviour (ASB): 42
Vehicle crime: 20
Other crime: 81
🔹 December 2024
204 total crimes
Violence & sexual offences: 59
ASB: 61
Criminal damage & arson: 15
Other crime: 69
🔹 January 2025
203 total crimes
Violence & sexual offences: 62
ASB: 39
Vehicle crime: 20
Other crime: 82
📈 One Year Later
🔹 November 2025
255 total crimes ⬆️ (+36 compared to Nov 2024)
Violence & sexual offences: 72
ASB: 59
Vehicle crime: 27
Other crime: 97
🔹 December 2025
231 total crimes ⬆️ (+27 compared to Dec 2024)
Violence & sexual offences: 63
ASB: 49
Vehicle crime: 26
Other crime: 93
🔹 January 2026
243 total crimes ⬆️ (+40 compared to Jan 2025)
Violence & sexual offences: 87 ⬆️ significant rise
ASB: 60 ⬆️
Vehicle crime: 28 ⬆️
Other crime: 68
Residents raised serious concerns about grooming, drugs, anti-social behaviour and youth violence increasing if supervised provision is removed. Many warned that the progress made through partnership working between residents, play staff and police could be undone.
For children and young people — including autistic and disabled young people up to age 25 — the Adventure Play Centre is often the only free, safe, supervised space available. There is no residential special school provision in the borough, and respite services are limited.
Local shopkeepers also told me that official figures do not reflect the daily reality on Plumstead High Street. Shoplifting, vandalism and anti-social behaviour are already worsening, and businesses are feeling the impact.
At a time when crime and ASB are rising, is this really the moment to remove preventative, supervised youth provision?
Prevention is quieter than crisis.
But once it’s gone, the consequences won’t be.