Nearly 250 crimes were reported in the area in just one month
The police and local politicians have raised concerns about a “noticeable rise” in antisocial behaviour and street drinking in Wembley, which has left many residents in the area feeling “unsafe and intimidated”. In the areas surrounding Wembley Stadium, there were more than 200 crimes reported in each month between July 2024 and June 2025, according to Metropolitan Police figures. The majority of these reports relate to antisocial behaviour (ASB), violence and sexual offences, with officers claiming alcohol being a “common contributor”.
The police have received multiple reports of “groups of males” drinking alcohol, urinating in public, taking drugs, and littering on the surrounding residential roads both during the afternoons and evenings, which is causing “significant concern” to local residents.
A dedicated ward officer for Wembley Hill community policing team said: “Residents have said that they feel unsafe and intimidated walking past these groups of male’s street drinking alcohol when entering and leaving their homes. [They] feel this is an unsafe environment to bring their children up in and cannot let their teenage daughters or partners go to the shops on their own due to the unpredictable groups of drunk males loitering outside their properties.
“Residents also experience noise nuisance from these groups in the early hours of the morning due to their drunken behaviour [and the surrounding roads are heavily littered with empty alcohol cans/bottles and urine in plastic bottles.”
The ward officer highlighted a number of incidents that have taken place over the past two months, including warning notices issued for “urinating against a residential property”, rowdy males outside residential properties, and people feeling intimidated returning home.
The comments came following an application to open another off-licence in the area. Sangit Express has applied to Brent Council for an alcohol licence until 11pm seven days a week. The shop sits on Harrow Road, at the junction with Wembley Hill Road, which is one of the busiest junctions in this area of Brent.
Wembley Hill Councillor, Cllr Ajal Akram, said ASB and street drinking is “already a significant concern” for residents. He claims there are already approximately seven shops selling alcohol within a 100-metre radius and allowing another one “would only exacerbate the existing problems”.
Cllr Akram added: “The shop in question has only recently opened and is already selling paan and other items that are raising concerns in the community. The growing prevalence of paan related litter and associated issues is already noticeable, the addition of an alcohol licence would likely worsen the situation.”
Sangit Express lies within the Wembley Central Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ), which is designed to limit the number of premises selling alcohol in the area. This means the presumption is that the variation of the licence will be refused. The entire borough of Brent is also subject to a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which is legislation designed to combat rising levels of street crime and antisocial behaviour – much of which is alcohol-fuelled.
In June of this year there were 241 crimes reported in the immediate area, according to police figures. These included 48 reports of ASB, as well as 48 of violent and sexual offences, 46 of shoplifting and 22 of theft from a person. The police have described alcohol as a “common contributor” to these reported crimes.
PC Phil Graves said: “The police along with the local authority spend a vast amount of time and resources into controlling street drinking / PSPO on event days. Adding yet another off license within the Wembley footprint will only encourage more street drinking and add another venue for the police and local authority to monitor.
“The venue is not a specialist in any field and is trying to sell standard beers and wines that are already available in neighbouring off licenses. The crime figures and map quoted above speak for themselves. […] Allowing this application to progress, no matter how strict a list of conditions imposed, would only add to more alcohol on the streets, more street drinking, more ASB and crime in the area.”
The shop owner has said that photos submitted against the licence application by Cllr Akram “have got nothing to do with Sanjit Express”. They also claim to have “very strict security” both inside and outside the premises and “the miscreants” do not apply to them.
The application will be reviewed by Brent Council’s Alcohol and Entertainment Licensing Sub-Committee at a meeting next month (October 15), where a decision on whether to approve the licence will be made.
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