Riot police on Silvester Road?

[Chris_B]

Anyone know what was happening on the LL end of Silvester Road mid morning today? 
They had the road blocked off and quite a few vans worth of guys in full riot gear with guns. 
Not what you expect in East Dulwich!

[alice]

Attitude 

[Chris_B]

2 minutes ago, alice said:

Attitude 

Sorry Alice, I'm not sure I understand your message. 

[lindylou]

1 hour ago, Chris_B said:

Anyone know what was happening on the LL end of Silvester Road mid morning today? 
They had the road blocked off and quite a few vans worth of guys in full riot gear with guns. 
Not what you expect in East Dulwich!

Chris B. "Not what you expect in East Dulwich". This is South London. You have no idea do you? Understand one thing....you may have bought an expensive property here and expected south London to change for you and adapt for your needs, but it hasn't. East Dulwich was a very poor area, but it was an amazing community. Since the blow ins and gentifrication, south Londoners have been forced out of their community.

1 hour ago, Chris_B said:

Sorry Alice, I'm not sure I understand your message. 

Really? You have an attitude. 

[Jules-and-Boo]

There is a lot of trouble in East Dulwich - it's honestly not the haven it's advertised as

[lindylou]

1 hour ago, Chris_B said:

Sorry Alice, I'm not sure I understand your message. 

 

7 minutes ago, Jules-and-Boo said:

There is a lot of trouble in East Dulwich - it's honestly not the haven it's advertised as

Yes. Estate Agents sell East Dulwich as some kind of Eutopia. The hard fact is East Dulwich is a South East London suburb. Crime is rampant, if those who are prepared £1.5 million plus for a house without doing their homework on the crime stats, then woe betide them. Im okay, I was born and bred here so know the territory, so to speak. Anyone arriving and believing this is crime free, think again.

[ed26]

I suspect that Chris's "Not what you expect in East Dulwich" was just a throwaway comment and doesn't warrant anyone suggesting that he's got an attitude. Moreover, while I accept that crime is a problem in ED and all local suburbs, I've lived here for 20+ years and would agree that several vans of riot police with guns is out of the norm and "not what you would expect" in the middle of a Tuesday morning.

[DeLick]

I have been living a stone throw from ED for thirty years and find the area very peaceful. I was amazed to read comment it's not what it used to be, 

[Sue]

I've been here thirty years, and vans of guys in riot gear with guns in Silvester Road  is not what I would have expected either pre gentrification or now.

So, does anyone know what it was about, because it certainly isn't normal in this area in my experience.

Edited January 9, 2024 by Sue

[Mabaker]

I've also been here for thirty years and find it a peaceful place to live most of the time, so found the early comments rather unhelpful. There's nothing wrong in asking a legitimate question because it is unusual to see vans of riot police on the streets. Still can't answer the question though

[malumbu]

How exciting.  I've lived in London for yonks.  I saw armed plod stop a van near Lambeth Bridge South side in the 90s.  Police vans everywhere around Peckham during the riots 13 years ago.  And sirens all over the place in central London, following the  7/7 bombings.  The latter two understandable.  That's been about it. 

[Lynne]

Possibly Chris B has now learned that irony is a dangerous tool

[froggy]

18 hours ago, Chris_B said:

Anyone know what was happening on the LL end of Silvester Road mid morning today? 
They had the road blocked off and quite a few vans worth of guys in full riot gear with guns. 
Not what you expect in East Dulw

Welcome to the forum Chris!   😀

Edited January 10, 2024 by froggy

[Penguin68]

21 hours ago, lindylou said:

East Dulwich was a very poor area, but it was an amazing community.

Actually, East Dulwich, like very many parts of London has gone down and up in social terms - if you look at the housing stock, over time, large houses have been split into flats (and houses with rooms) and then re-configured as single houses again; there is, and generally has been, a mix of council housing (now 'social' housing, although originally without that concept), private ownership and private renting. 35 years ago, when I moved here, Lordship Lane was very different, as were house prices, but the area had previously (in the mid to late 19th and early 20th century) been far more upbeat.

Oh, and I recall 25 years or so ago, in the 'posh-er' part of Underhill a huge raid on an empty house which had been used to train fighting dogs - so these things do happen, and will happen again.

I don't think East Dulwich, by the way, was ever 'very poor' (too many nice houses and parks) - but it was certainly much poorer than it is now.

Edited January 10, 2024 by Penguin68

[mrwb]

Well there was that shotgun pointed in the face incident on Crystal Palace road a while back. 

The last time riot police were around it was for a protest against the drag at the Great Exhibition I think.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

19 hours ago, lindylou said:

you may have bought an expensive property here and expected south London to change for you and adapt for your needs, but it hasn't. East Dulwich was a very poor area, but it was an amazing community. Since the blow ins and gentifrication, south Londoners have been forced out of their community.

 

 

[letfordj]

saying "This is South London. You have no idea do you?" when you live in East Dulwich is hilarious. it's about as far away from proper south London as it gets  🤣

[Spartacus]

55 minutes ago, letfordj said:

saying "This is South London. You have no idea do you?" when you live in East Dulwich is hilarious. it's about as far away from proper south London as it gets  🤣

Proper south London, like ED has moved on a lot, but let's be honest crime impacts any area, gentrified or not and criminals come in all guises so a raid on a house could be anything from drugs to murder to financial crime related so no point speculating. 

[Angelina]

You don't get riot please turn up for fraud or theft

Proper South London has moved on? Really? in What way? Everyone's rich, warm, well fed and happy?

Well I guess if you live in an expensive area you are shielded somewhat form the harsher realities

[Spartacus]

18 minutes ago, Angelina said:

 

Proper South London has moved on? Really? in What way?

If you remember the saf London of the 70s through 90s you would know how its moved on.

The rough edges have become smoother, crime is different and even the old Kent Road feels relatively safe.

Riot police love to get dressed up and if the financial crime is related to gangs then sure why not go in fully protected. 

[Rockets]

Bottom-line is we live in a city with an increasing crime problem and crime honours no boundaries - I remember many years ago someone was the victim of what was referred to at the time as a gangland style murder in broad daylight at lunchtime on Barry Road.

[Jules-and-Boo]

indeed - it's more likely to be a serious crime, with riot police.

 

[alice]

ok - crime has got worse in se22 but was even worse in the 70s. does that sum up this thread?

[BenMac30]

So, any word on what actually happened?

[Rockets]

A police officer friend of mine once said that when police raid a house there a three things they are worried about (in order of the threat they pose to do officers harm):

1) dogs

2) the person's partner

3) the person you're actually after

 

.....with the first too far more likely to cause a problem than the latter and that is why they often go in suited and booted!