Machete gangs run riot near prince’s school
"When police are called, their response is 'There's nothing we can do'." Battersea local
BRITAIN: Moped gangs armed with machetes have been terrorising the public yards from Prince George’s future primary school, with locals accusing police of failing to tackle the threat for months.
Residents in Battersea, southwest London, said they had seen men on bikes waving the weapons as they sped through pedestrianised areas near the £6110 (Nz$11,400)-a-year Thomas’s school in Battersea, which the young royal is due to attend from September.
Several of the incidents were said to have taken place in broad daylight, with footage showing the bikers threatening passersby, and weaving in and out of tables at nearby restaurants.
‘‘There are break-ins every night, residents are being terrorised every other day either by riding on pavements or at people,’’ said one local, who was too scared of repercussions to be identified.
‘‘When police are called, their response is ‘There’s nothing we can do’.’’
CCTV footage gathered by the business website Londonlovesbusiness.com shows one incident where thieves on a motorbike tried to kick a member of the public off their bicycle before breaking into a car outside the school on Battersea High Street.
Witnesses said men on pushbikes later returned to the scene ‘‘to gloat’’, pointing their fingers in a shooting gesture at members of the public who were waiting for police.
Police attended the aftermath of the incident in Battersea, on the evening of Tuesday, May 2, but locals say this is just the latest in a crime spree committed on the doorstep of the school.
The riders, who are believed to live locally, wear balaclavas and dress all in black.
The vehicle licence plates are often blacked out or ripped off, said residents, leading them to believe the vehicles themselves had been stolen.
Passengers on the bikes have wielded machetes in an apparent attempt to intimidate members of the public on multiple occasions, said one local business owner.
‘‘The police don’t chase them so it’s almost a licence to commit crime,’’ said another resident, who wanted to remain anonymous out of fear of being identified by the gang.
The area is popular among locals for its bars and cafes and is nicknamed ‘‘nappy valley’’ for its number of local schools and young families.
Inspector Guy Osborne, of the Battersea Safer Neighbourhoods Team, said that Wandsworth police were ‘‘very aware’’ of moped-enabled crime, and called the issue ‘‘a borough priority’’.
He said incidents involving weapons had not been reported to the police.
Staff and officials at Thomas’s school declined to comment.
- The Times