Richard Wilson

Yesterday I had to take a late night trip Hornsey Police Station after narrowly avoiding my bank account being emptied by cashpoint criminals.  On the way home from a night out at the theatre, I decided to get some money out from the cashpoint at the Post Office in Crouch End (on Topsfield Parade), at about 11pm.  The cashpoint made lots of whirring sounds but didn’t give me my card back.

This made me suspicious and I suddenly realised there was a device attached to the card slot.  A little look around and I also spotted a concealed camera positioned to video the key pad.  With my card and a recording of me typing in my PIN, they would have had everything they needed to empty my bank account.

The hidden camera was only attached to the cashpoint with a magnet so I took it off and stuck it in my pocket and scarpered – slightly worried whether the people who were trying to steal my money were nearby watching me.  Fortunately, I knew Hornsey Police Station was up the road and has a 24 hour front counter so I went in and gave the criminals’ camera to the police.

The officers at Hornsey Station who helped me were great, and it was very reassuring to speak to the police face to face.   Sadly though, I’ve just had a call from CID to say they think its unlikely they will be able to identify the culprits – as there is no CCTV camera facing the cashpoint.

So I’m posting this story to remind people of the need to be vigilant when using cash machines in the area and to look out for devices attached to the card slot.  They are very cleverly concealed and I only noticed at the very last minute just as I was about to walk off thinking it was just a faulty machine.

And I’m also posting this to highlight the importance of police stations remaining open 24 hours.  This has been a big issue in Haringey recently with Lynne Featherstone battling to keep the front counter at Wood Green Police Station open 24 hours (story here).  I think I slept sounder last night because I’d been able to speak to the police and hand over the criminals’ hidden camera.  I’m not sure what I would have done if the police station had been closed.

Last night was the Council meeting which set the budget for the 2010/11 financial year.  Stroud Green Councillor Ed Butcher is our finance spokesperson so presented our alternative budget, with a detailed and costed amendment calling for extra police, more recycling, and a freeze in Council charges (paid for by cutting Labour’s waste and spin).

Labour rejected our budget amendment, and bizarrely attacked our plans to boost late night policing.  However, Ed won the argument on improving battery recycling and at the very last minute Labour changed their budget to partly adopt our plans.

Currently the Council provides just a handful of places for residents to take batteries, so Ed argued for 100 more recycling points in convenient locations like libraries and schools.  Its great news that he has successfully pushed the Council into action to protect the environment from dangerous pollution from batteries.

Good news!  In a previous post I mentioned that for a number of years now I have been nagging the Council to remove the derelict old phone box by the shops on Weston Park.  It was installed by a private (non-BT) phone company and hasn’t been in operation for many years (see picture).

The Council have previously refused to remove it unless the company that installed it paid to do so – but of course the company has long since vanished.  However, for the first time, I have now gained a commitment from Council that the phone box will be removed, regardless of whether the costs can be recouped.  I’m really pleased – but its a shame that it has taken so long to make the Council see sense!

We have also been trying to make the shops feel safer in the evenings.  A couple of residents contacted Cllr Ed Butcher and me last year about groups of young people gathering near the shops in the evening, and creating an intimidating atmosphere.  We contacted the local ‘safer neighbourhood’ police team and they agreed to increase patrols.

I chatted to the local police sergeant about the issue again this week – and they have talked to the shopkeepers and think they have identified where the kids are coming from.   It sounds like the issue is in hand, but I’ve also written to local residents urging them to contact me if the problem persists – or returns when the evenings are warmer.

I’ve been contacted by a concerned resident about the murder that took place a few days ago on the Stroud Green Road.  It has been covered a bit by the BBC and apparently there was a police cordon and a very high officer presence at the weekend.  This is obviously all quite alarming for local residents, so I asked for some information from the Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and have got this statement:

At 6.20am on Thursday, December 31st, police were called to an address in Stroud Green Road, Haringey, where a woman aged 40, was found unconscious.  She was taken to the Whittington Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.  Police officers from the Serious Crime Command are investigating.
 
Ms McKinley’s partner has been located and arrested; it is believed that he has admitted to the murder.
 
The victim’s four children are being cared for and supported by Haringey; all appropriate measures to ensure their future safety are being taken.

Obviously this is a terrible incident, but I think its a little reassuring for residents to have the basic facts about what’s going on.

A number of residents have expressed their concern to me about the recent late night stabbing by the junction of Stapleton Hall Road and Lancaster Road.  The victim was attacked at around 4am on Friday 13th according to reports in local papers, and was seriously injured.  No wonder people are concerned when you see the stark headlines outside the Ferme Park Road newsagent - which is facing the scene of the attack (pictured).

I’ve asked the police and the Council’s community safety department to provide an urgent briefing.  Residents want to know whether this incident was gang, drugs or robbery related, so they can get some understanding of why this happened and what the risks are of it re-occuring.  For instance, a resident of Stapleton Hall Road told me she was worried about whether her teenage sons might be at risk – if the stabbing was related to young gangs.

I’ll try to reassure people on nearby streets when I get further information.

Because of Lib Dem conference I’m a bit behind with my posts – but I wanted to report back on last week’s meeting with the police and Haringey Council about security at Stationers Park.  The meeting was called after I met with Parks officers to demand action after the children’s play fort was badly vandalised (see previous post).

The good news is that the Council revealed they have spoken to the private contractors who close all the park gates in the Borough and they are now going to change the order they go round to ensure Stationers is one of the first to be closed – not one of the last as seemed to be happening.  I’m really pleased as this is something I suggested at the end of August.

At the meeting a Mayfield Road resident confirmed that on the first night of the vandalism the gate was still open after 10pm.  Of course, anyone can climb into the park if they really want – but leaving the gate open after dark is an open invitation to bored teenagers during the summer holiday, so this is a real Council blunder.

However, the bad news is that police say they will never be able to prioritise security at the park after dark unless more local people report problems.  Currently they say they get very few calls about late night anti-social behaviour – even though loads of residents are disturbed when it happens.  I would urge residents to help defend the Park.  If its not an emergency you can call the ‘Safer Parks Unit’ via the Met Police on 0300 123 1212.  If its an issue with the gates call the Parks Service on 020 8489 1000. 

I suspect the reason most people don’t complain is because they don’t believe anything will happen as a result.  So the police and the Council will need to make sure action is seen to happen when people take the time to contact them.

When Ed, Laura and I got elected in 2006 one of our big campaign pledges was to improve the safety at the Oxford Road entrance to the Parkland Walk with CCTV cameras.  The area, which is next to the footbridge over the railway to Finsbury Park, was a well known problem area and was being used as a safe escape route by burglars and muggers.   The CCTV was quickly installed thanks to the support of the local neighbourhood police team.

However, we still get complaints from residents and walkers about prostitutes and drug users sometimes using the site.  Every so often an unlucky walker will stumble upon an unsavoury scene or find a pile of discarded needles.

My colleague Ed Butcher has been on the case speaking to the Council and the Police.   The problem seems to be that the bushes have grown up too much and are obscuring the camera’s view and providing hiding places.   The good news is that Ed has secured agreement for some sensitive pruning and landscaping to the area, which the police think will make a difference. 

This should help cut the risk of stumbling on a scene you’d expect in a gritty US cop show – not on a ramble down a local nature trail.