A kidnapping in Charlton?

I've had an email from Mel.

I was so glad to see the section about crime on your blogg - because i have been trying to get information from the met today and they do not have any information on Kidnapp in Charlton recently there was a notice board like the one you have on site it was just off Wyncliffe road do you happen to have any info on this or a photograph of the board.

That's the first I've heard of it, I've not read of it anywhere.

I sometimes use that road when I go up to the Blackheath Standard but I've not been up there for a while what with all the Christmas hurry going on. I'll try and check it out sometime soon. Does anyone else have any ideas about this?

Police to talk with gang leaders

Apparently it's bad blogging form to just post up a link to an article elsewhere and then give a few opinionated comments about it.

Oh well.

It's Friday and I'm waiting for some work to finish so I'll do it anyway.

According to the BBC, click here, the Police are to hold talks with several south London gangs. Greenwich is one of the Councils involved.

Now on the one hand it's worked in America so there's got to be something to it.

On the other is it just giving the little scruts the attention, profile and "respect" that some say they are after? Without the guns and violence the closest those gang members would get to a senior police officer would be passing them by in the Police Station as they're dragged to the cells for stealing cheap cider from Morrisons. So they listen to some big guy rapping about rolling with his gun packing homies, think they're in down town LA rather than SE7 and start popping caps in peoples bottoms.

So anyway you end up with feral children with no hopes or dreams, other than perhaps to end up as another "fallen soldier" when someone from the postcode next door takes a dislike to them. Then they begin to get attention and one to one chats with big and important people. Is that really going to encourage them to stop playing silly sods or will it just reward them and incite them to keep on doing what they do?

I also wonder how bad the gang situation really is? Is it really that serious or is it just the latest thing that the media like to go on about?

There's meant to be the gang at the top of the hill, the Cherry Boys, and Woolwich has a few too. There's also been one incident of gun shots within a couple of minutes walk from me. I can say that I'm hearing about it far more now than I used to but I don't think I'm actually seeing any more evidence of it.

I still feel pretty safe around here and toddle around without too much concern. Head in the sand?

Shooting in Charlton

There's a board up in Charlton Church Lane about a shooting that happened there in the early hours of Saturday the 14th of July. It doesn't sound like anyone was hurt, shots were fired and the shooters fled.

The News Shopper web site is also carrying a story about another shooting at the same place, on a Saturday and at the same time. Click here to see it.

So were there two incidents or one? Have News Shopper got the date wrong? Any ideas?

Anyway I'm not sure how I feel about this. It should be rather frightening but for some reason I don't feel too phased by it. Am I viewing it with the correct sense of proportion or somehow in denial about it?

I also wonder if this is connected with the gang situation that is rumoured to be rife in SE London.

I'm sure that you're all bright enough to realise that if you did see or hear anything, absolutely anything, about this then you should be phoning the police. As for me I really don't recall a thing, I think I was sound asleep at the time as I had an early start the next day.

Thanks go out to John-Paul for sending me an email about the notice a few days ago, it's much appreciated.

Edited to add: I emailed the newspaper and they've confirmed that there was only one shooting on the 14th of July. They've fixed the story to make clear that they're not talking about Saturday just gone but one several weeks ago. Nice to see them move so quickly to clarify things. Hopefully someone out there knows something and can help the police out.

"Gangs in turf war"

According to the News Shopper web site the Police have said that local gangs are involved in a "turf war".

The fight that occurred the other day at the top of the hill was apparently a part of this "war".

On the one hand you do begin to panic a little bit, on the other if there is really a major problem then admitting it is the first step to dealing with it.

I also wonder if I do truly live in my own little bubble and that the bad things that do happen pass me by. Inspector Sands posted quite a long entry wondering about the state of society around here, you can read it here. If there is that serious a problem and it's passed me completely by then it does make me think that he's got a point.

Like him I don't go to the top of the hill very often, not because I'm deliberately avoiding it but just because my life doesn't go there. Similarly I've seen very little of anything that I'd put down to "gangs".

So I'm wondering if this really is a big problem and about the part that I'm playing in my neighbourhood if there is.

Gang Fight

I'm becoming more are of gangs in my local area. There's been a few comments on this blog that have mentioned them but I've never really thought about it much.

Today I read about a gang fight that took place at the top of the hill between a Charlton and a Woolwich gang. The story can be read here. It happened in the week and that was the first that I'd heard of it.

So now I'm thinking how much a gang "problem" is there really in this area? I'm determined not to panic but I will be keeping my eyes open.

Charlton Safer Neighbourhood Team

A comment by Audrey to a post below has made me aware that there is a Safer Neighbourhood Team for Charlton. I wasn't totally sure what one of those was so I went and looked it up.

A page on the Met Police's web site defines them as:

The officers on your Safer Neighbourhoods team spend most of their time out on patrol in your neighbourhood, meeting the community and identifying and dealing with those crimes and issues you have told us cause you most concern. Therefore, your team adjusts its shift pattern to address these priority issues.

Your Safer Neighbourhoods team wants to hear from you. If your call is not answered, please do leave a message on the answerphone or send them an email. A member of the team will get back to you.

The details for the Charlton Team are:

Members
Sgt Adrian Musgrave
PC Jason Roy
PC Phillip Crowther
PCSO rachael Clark
PCSO Marian Nicol
PCSO Malcolm Gillespie
PCSO Sean Harvey

Address
Charlton Team
3 Mar House, Springfield Grove, London
SE7

Contact
Phone: 020 8721 2736
Mobile: 07768 083607
Email: Charlton.snt@met.police.uk

I'm now wondering if I should contact them and find out what's going on with the house that was attacked. The police did attend both incidents so I presume that they've been dealt with but I must admit to being a bit worried about it happening again.

My eyes are definitely open for the future though, nice to know that there is somewhere you can go with concerns that aren't directly related to a particular incident that you might call 999 for.

Thanks to Audrey for making me aware of the team.

Trouble in Charlton...

Many months ago a house near me had it's windows smashed by a group of "lads" throwing bricks and stones at it. Someone told me about it but I only saw the aftermath.

A couple of weeks ago the house was attacked again, a gang of youths as before. The police turned up and there seemed to be a fair bit of activity. I then went away for a couple of weeks. When I get back the house now looks vacant and has metal shutters over it's windows and door.

So what happened?

The property appears to have been targeted twice, it's not just some troublemakers out to smash something up.

On the one hand it made me feel a little unsafe. On the other as I've said it wasn't just general trouble but something very particular.

My eyes are open though.....