With regard to the excellent report by Becky Middleton concerning the situation in Ravensbury Park (Tensions run high as residents call for a 'safe park', July 17). I am glad that the Wimbledon Guardian is giving this issue the front page attention that it deserves, as it is a dreadfully serious matter indeed.

As a direct result of the insane police cuts that have been imposed on Merton by Stephen Hammond, the Invisible Man, and the Tory Assembly Member for Merton, Richard Tracey, many residents no longer feel safe to visit their own local park.
Violent crime in the park is now a reality. Drug gangs and muggers are a serious threat to public safety. And with all due respect to the two fine police officers who attended Siobhain's public meeting, I do not believe that two sworn officers and one PCSO can protect an area as vast as Ravensbury.

  The reason why Stephen Hammond and Richard Tracey have been such a disaster for the local business community in Wimbledon is because they really cannot see how important it is to maintain social infrastructure.
Business investment is now under threat in Wimbledon because of the catastrophically soaring crime rates. And the reason it is such a disaster is exactly the same reason why the Tories have wrecked the Crossrail project, and why we need Andrew Adonis as London mayor. Crossrail has been frozen in limbo for the last four years because the Tories refuse to spend money on it. Instead burying the project in endless cosmetic 'public consultations' that lead nowhere.

But the Metropolitan Police Service is not Crossrail. Taking money away from Crossrail does not kill people. Destroying the capability of the Met to protect our wives and families really does result in lives being lost. Three lives so far in Merton, including one brave young police officer. Plus an entirely avoidable rape and a huge increase in violent street crime, much of which is now focused on the very heart of the Wimbledon business community.

  Meanwhile the number of unsolved crimes in Merton is now up by 78%. Indeed Merton has lost nearly half of our PCSOs since 2010.

So, against this background, our local Labour MP, Siobhain McDonagh, has invited the head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Bernard Hogan Howe, to attend a public meeting in Mitcham, scheduled to take place at 10 am on Saturday 2 August, in St Marks Church on St Mark's Road in Mitcham.

Also present will be local police officers and Merton councillors, including our fine council leader, Stephen Alambritis. Sir Bernard is a very fine police officer who deserves public support for the difficult and vital work that he is doing, so I urge as many people as possible in our local community to attend that dreadfully important meeting.

Michael Barltrop
via email

 

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