BIG BROTHER is watching you, but at least you can see his face. Police have been trialling this 3-metre tower in Kingsland High Street E8 2PB, to keep hipsters in order on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Metropolitan Police said of what they ploddingly call “the platforms”: “They were placed there in response to complaints from residents and businesses concerning the antics of a minority of individuals who populate the area during the evenings and early mornings over the weekends, generally acting in an anti-social manner.

“The complaints involved people urinating in public, drunken and rowdy behaviour and concerns about drug use and general behaviour that blighted the lives of those mentioned.”

Paul Standing, Neighbourhood Inspector for the area, told Loving Dalston: “This tactic is about making officers as visible as possible so that people enjoying the night-time economy in Dalston are kept safe, and feel safe.

“It is part of a bigger plan to put more officers into Dalston at night when they are most needed. We are trialling it for a month and then we’ll look at the impact it has had. So far, we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response from businesses, residents and visitors.”

The tower shown is by the Rio Cinema. Police might feel a bit vulnerable up the wonky-looking structure and they admit to having had a few “interesting moments”. The Met told Loving Dalston: “One chap though it was a portable toilet — he was advised.”

Loving Dalston reported in January this year 2013 on residents’ worries and Hackney council’s response.

David Altheer

* Emboldened underscored words in most cases indicate a hyperlink. If a link does not work, it is probably because the site to which the URL refers has not been maintained.

This site welcomes fair comments, including the critical. Letters may be edited for grammatical, legal or taste reasons, for shortening or for substitution of Wikipedia citations by reliable sources. RSS feed link is at top right. Twitter: @lovingdalston