A SUCCESSFUL crackdown on troublemakers has revealed that the majority of yobs in Highams Park are home-grown.

A dispersal zone covering a 500-metre radius of Highams Park station has reduced the instances of reported anti-social behaviour by 25 per cent.

Sian Hasler, partnership and operations manager for the council, said: "About 200 people were dispersed from that area and the vast majority of people we moved on lived in and around this area. It didn't appear that there were lots of people coming in and creating anti-social behavior."

Her comments were made at the recent meeting of South Chingford and Highams Park Community Council in response to a question from Cllr John Gover about whether young people were coming into the area from Bethnal Green to cause trouble.

The zone, run jointly by the council and the Metropolitan Police, was introduced in July last year, and gives police officers the power to disperse anyone acting anti-socially.

It was originally due to finish last month, but its success has persuaded the police and the council to reinstate it with slightly altered boundaries until July.

The dispersal order was enforced by the Safer Neighbourhoods Teams for Highams Park, and Hale End and Hatch Lane, while council wardens patrolled the outer edge of the zone.

During the first six months, reported stolen cars dropped to zero, theft from motor vehicles halved and robberies went down by a third.

However not all crimes decreased. Between last July and January criminal damage to motor vehicles increased by a quarter, in line with the rate across Waltham Forest.

Ms Hasler said that in addition to the 200 people moved on, six were arrested and charged for staying in the dispersal zone after being told leave. No convictions resulted from the arrests.