Renewed call for lighting in Queen’s Park after rape

A CAMPAIGNER has renewed his call for lighting in Queen’s Park following the rape of a teenager.

The Evening Times first told last April how South Side resident Chris Pech set up a petition calling for lights in the park.

He feared for the safety of his family while walking their dogs in the evenings.

The petition gathered more than 5,000 signatures but his calls to Glasgow City Council fell on deaf ears.

Last Wednesday a 19-year-old woman was raped in the park between 8.30pm and 9pm.

Chris said: “I hurt for the individual and was angry about the inactivity that has allowed this to happen.

“I had meetings with local councillors, Land and Environmental Services and Community Safety Glasgow. What they were offering seemed to fall short of what we were hoping for but at least it was something.

“However, none of the suggestions appear to have become reality.

“I now hope that more people will sign the petition and I have been contacting councillors.”

Local councillor Soryia Siddique said she is willing to meet again with Chris and other locals.

She said Govanhill, including Queen’s Park, needs a long-term, permanent crime strategy.

Ms Siddique said: “I have met with Chris and he is very passionate about the safety of the area.

“One of the things that has been evident since around 2012 is the fear of crime in the area.

“It is really important that people are safe but also that they feel safe. It should be the norm and not an addition. It is a very reasonable ask for people to feel safe.”

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “There have been, in the past, requests to the council for more lighting in Queen’s Park.

“We tend to discourage lighting within parks in line with other councils and, while it would require large-scale clearance of trees and wildlife cover, any request received is considered on a case by case basis.

“It would be inappropriate to make further comment into the recent reported incident in Queen’s Park until Police Scotland has concluded their investigation.”

Chris added: “They seem to need more attacks and murders before anything will happen – how many is enough?

“Even one attack is devastating for that individual and their family. “That should be enough.” A spokesman for Police Scotland said no arrests have been made following the attack and that inquiries are continuing.

The petition can be found at: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ light-up-queen-s-park-glasgow