Burglary on Barry Rd (May 29th)

[biancason]

We were robbed on the only evening we are out of the house, weekly. Our next door neighbor was robbed on the ONLY day he goes out.

This may have been an opportunity crime, but it seems odd. Either way, please take precaution. We are on the Upland Road and Barry Road intersection.

Motion detecter lights, Grill on windows and doors and so on.

The Police explained that if we call them whenever we are suspicious; even mildly so, they will eventually increase police presence in the area. Hence, please call and report anything you might consider suspicious.

[Willard]

Really sorry to hear that, thanks for the heads up.

[chichirara]

Did you hear lots of commotion on Sunday night by any chance? We too live v near here and Saturday night had plants nicked( not nearly as bad I know)and last night heard lots of shouting, but not like the usual happy teenagers etc

[Horsebox]

Biancason, sorry to hear about this and hope you recover.

Just to clarify, do you mean that you were robbed (mugged, bag snatch etc) in the street or that your house was burgled while you were out?

[biancason]

We came home around 11pm to discover that someone had broken the glass on our front door, reached in and turned the lock, and in this way stole bikes in the hall. They may have tried to enter the flats as well, but we live across from a brightly lit busstop....(one reason for moving in on loud Barry road in the first place). According to the police, most likely, someone was a look-out at the busstop and gave a thumbs up when all was clear and committed the crime. The police said day time crime happens in a different way, most likely folks will walk around, ring door bells and when all is clear, i.e. when the door is not answered, break in then.

We are going to put bars on the inside of the door. Still, this is disconcerting. A. They could have made it into the flats, B. we could have caught them, they could have closed the boor behind them causing injury to our persons. This thing happened at about 11, NO ONE heard them?

I did hear some noise over the weekend and now think I should have called the police. Why not?! I was in Peckham before the streets were finally repaired. Pipes had been laid out for the next days work. My partner and I were leaving the Cinema when a white van pulled up, 3-4 guys got out and started putting the piping onto their van. People looked out of their shop doors watching...no one did anything. Finally, I called the police. I think we are all too hesitant to call them....

So again, I say whenever you hear something and when sometihng happens as "insignificant" as having one's flower pots stolen, we call the police!

I also talked to the council about funding some sort of neighborhood watch, getting more street lights going and so on. I think we all live here for the safety, among other ammenities....so let's pull together. Thank you all for your messages.

[Sue]

I had some info a while ago now about neighbourhood watch in ED, volunteered to be involved and have heard nothing since??

[the-e-dealer]

They only cover a few streets we have one just for upper friern road near park.

[James Barber]

Hi Sue,

Which street did you fail to get Police to support neighbourhood watch?

If it was ED Police I'll be shocked.

Hi biancason,

On our oak front door glass sections we've had a laminate added. So the glass can't be smashed. We've also had manchester and london bars, If you live in the East Dulwich ward parts of Barry Road the flat can have FREE property marking kits and using them properly and placing the stickers at doors will seriourly deter burglars.

For bikes I've installed a wall anchor to lock them to via the anchor to the wall. I'd really recommend these.

[Sue]

Hi James,

I didn't contact the police, they contacted me via a flyer about Neighbourhood Watch through the door (Ulverscroft Road). They asked for my response to be returned either to ED police station (I think it was) or emailed to them. I emailed saying I would like to be involved in Neighbourhood Watch, but haven't heard anything about it since. :-S

Can't remember if my email was acknowledged tbh, it was ages ago.

[bloonoo]

Sorry to hear about the burglary, we were done a few months ago and it is a horrible thing to have happen.

James, where can you get free property marking kits from?

[milliemum]

the-e-dealer Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> They only cover a few streets we have one just for

> upper friern road near park.

How do we get involved in that? How far does 'upper' go?

[James Barber]

Hi bloonoo and others,

To receive a free property marking kit you need to be an East Dulwich ward resident - area within the area bounded by Grove Vale, Melbourne Grove, Lordship Lane, Dunstand Road, Underhill, Friern Road, Upland Road, Crystal Palace Road, East Dulwich Road.

Contact the ED Safer Neighbourhood Team or me with your full name, address and contact details.

The ED SNT then pop round and help you deploy the kit and most importantly register it.

My contact details are below.

ED SNT [email protected]

[Loz]

Anything available for us up near the station?

[the-e-dealer]

No 24 /Upland Road.

[underhill_rick]

Hi biancason,

So sorry to hear about your experience of being robbed.

[mynamehere]

http://www.met.police.uk/contacts/public_access_survey.htm

Please everyone respond to this police questionnaire asap! Last days

At the Community Council meeting last night this questionnaire came up as the way they decide on what the public want so, fill the questionnaire in today

Generally and separately I read these posts about crime and I see possibly no no more than 20 people who are preying on a geographical area that suits them. I say this as this puts the problem the other way round: a "gang", a group that thinks they've sorted their how to make a living problems is targeting "us". In a way, it is a finite problem. These people can be targeted themselves and stopped. Report the crimes to the professions and help them clearly see the look for patterns: casing houses, open backdoors.

I do not want criminals to stop me, make me afraid. I want to help the police take out people who have decided crime pays. It does go back to other social issues and finally families but I don't want to start that

Fill out the questionnaire. This area has the highest responce rate to the survey ... am I right? In the whole of England! Wow, you rock!

[James Barber]

To reiterate. The more people that respond to this survey the less likely they'll lthink they can close our Police station with such active residents.

[Sue]

Well I filled in the survey but I thought it was crap. Can't believe whoever devised it had actually tried to answer the questions.

And I can't see it's going to have much effect on our police station because they didn't ask for a postcode, just a borough.

I hope I'm wrong.

[mynamehere]

In point of fact (I don't really remember the survey but non the less in general) I completely agree to your point that a great deal of interactive community responce touchy feely government is crap. The way I see it is the best people should be hired to do a job and best means knowing the subject at a 360 degree perspective in a modern ever changing world and then they are hired to show and explain leadership. Leadership here means what is the best practice for taking out these small bandit groups that arise like foxes in a territory (one dies or leaves and another comes in).

Leadership here also means knowing how much infrastructure needs to maintained in a permanent on going basis. Infrastructure like land and buildings cannot be bought in or replaced at whim. Once it is gone it is gone forever. The replacement cost for a building sold today to raise however many pounds simply cannot be replaced if a mistake is made.

Downsizing government tends to be permanent and the consequences of selling public assets long term could be astronomical.

Is the answer to these profound questions really found by poorly asked questions that in the whole country at best 400 people answer?

At the community council meeting a question of out patient services was also covered as a matter of urgency as one space will be sold and the patients moved to join others in another space. The arguments were solid but short sighted: the space is costly to maintain and has a large value on the market. In the same breathe the future needs of an aging population were discussed. So if this building and others are sold off... where will those not so far in the future patients be accomodated?

The police station is a huge interesting property in the heart of a bulging population hub. While the council is not a "business" there must be innovative ways to fill this space and cover costs

[TonyQuinn]

You liberals really take the biscuit. Your old strategy of playing everyone off against each other ain't gonna work no more Mr Barber. The cheek of this comment....are you not in government with Dave and the boys. You know they're gonna eat you alive, if they haven't already. Deal with the responsibility of being in power! Shameful post. The station is getting closed because of policies prescribed by Clegg and Huhne and Cable. Traitors maybe but they're yours so deal with it, accept it and promote it. BTW you said you'd get me some docs regarding Forest Hill Road planning. Still waiting.

[James Barber]

Hi Tonyquinn,

Clearly keeping a local police station means police are more locally present when things like burglaries etc occur on local roads such as Barry Road.

You don't seem to know of the ED Police station recent history or the decision making bodies involved for London Police stations. The Met Police is controlled by the Met Police Authority and the Mayor of London and they make the decisions.

The original proposal to close it was made when Ken Livingston was the London Mayor. It has been implied under Boris Johnson's mayoral term when it started and more recently. We have a London election in 2012 so I'd be surprised if it closes betweem now and May 2012 and I'm hopeful we'll be able to get mayoral candidates to pledge to keep local Police stations open. However, something will need to happen to ED Police station as the attached photo shows it has concrete cancer. Equally the old ED Polcie station junction of Crystal Palace Road with Upland Road should be sold if capital receipts is the issue. Ideally the old police station would be used for a couple of years while the current one is repalced. Proabably the ground floor kept for the Polce and other local publci services and floors above for apartments. ideal would be a S106 providing a front Police station counter with a long lease from the police ot house officers there and the semi commercial rent pays for the front desk to be opened.

WRT the First Road Hill traffic plans. I've requested them and will chase as it has taken a long time to not have them to forward them to you.