SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

18 posts
Annabel (admin)
Site Admin
Posts: 3863
Joined: May 2008
Options:
Share this post on:

SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby Annabel (admin) » Sun Sep 02, 2018 1:38 pm

Dear NVN'ers
We've had the email below sent through with permission to reproduce it here - please do read and I hope it helps...

And a massive thank you to the father who sent it through - I hope he and his children are recovering from what must have been a horrible situation


<start>

Hello to everyone in the <name removed> community (I’ve used a few parents lists), and apologies for blasting an uncomfortable message.

I was mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids on Tuesday afternoon (4pm), on Bramfield Road, by a single assailant on a small motorcycle.  My watch was stolen, but more concerning/lasting is the trauma that I and my kids have suffered.    

As I have low expectations of 1) the government reversing course to start properly funding the Met Police, and 2) the law changing to relieve police of personal responsibility in the case of injury to a suspect in a pursuit/crash, I thought the quickest and most effective way to help protect us all is to share my thoughts on how to avoid becoming a target.  As a disclaimer, I’m not a police officer - just a victim of crime and someone concerned about the rise in crime in our area.

Some of my learning over the past few days:

Convenient targets:
Parents w/ children in tow:  you won’t run and leave your children, and you won’t put your life in danger in front of your kids by doing something stupid (this was my case, and the case of a woman on Abbeville Road last year).  You also won’t be paying attention as they scope you out.

People walking home from work, phone in hand, not paying attention.  Flashy watch, bag, jewellery, etc - all obvious.

Locations:  
I was attacked on Bramfield Road (eastern side), a fairly leafy, relatively dark street.  It may not make much difference, but I’m going to stick to the open, wide cross streets from now on (also, if there are security cameras on buildings/houses, they will be less obscured by trees).  The getaway was relatively easy - he went up the other side of Bramfield towards Wandsworth Common instead of using Northcote (which probably has cameras).

What they want:
iPhones & expensive watches seem to be the most obvious to me (both are surrendered easily, and sold quickly).  Diamond wedding rings are tougher to get off, so they may see that as too much a risk. My watch was off in a nanosecond and away he went.  


Providing info the police after the attack:
I’ve been on the Next Door app (you should all download this) over the past few months, and picked up some tips from a PC who had posted this:

Easy acronyms to remember, A to H for a person, and SCRIM for a vehicle.

A- Age
B- Build
C- Clothing
D- Distinguishing marks (tattoos ect)
E- Elevation (Height)
F- Facial features
G- Gait (The way they walk, limp, swagger etc)
H- Hair (colour, length)

SCRIM is used for describing vehicles.
Shape (saloon/pick up/van etc)
Colour
Registration
Identifying features (dents/spoilers/antennae etc)
Make/Model

Unfortunately, in reality you are so shocked that it’s tough to concentrate on all this!  My observation skills are typically quite sharp, but in that moment the only thing I was looking at were his eyes (under a balaclava) and the 6-8inch knife he was jabbing my way.  Getting a license plate certainly is important if possible, but in the end the majority of these bikes are stolen and then abandoned.  

Insurance:
Keep your homeowners insurance up to date (if you’ve moved recently, make sure your address is correct).  Expensive items over the £1500 single-item limit (or whatever your policy says) need to be specified in the “special items” section. Make sure you have all original paperwork.

***WHAT CAN WE DO AS RESIDENTS???***
First and foremost, please protect yourself.

Secondly, I, and residents on my street, will be writing letters to our local MP, marsha.decordova.mp@parliament.uk, Nick Hurd MP (Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service) nick.hurd.mp@parliament.uk, London Mayor Sadiq Khan (mayor@london.gov.uk), and Met Commissioner Cressida Dick (Comm.PO@met.police.uk) among others.

I will highlight the recent increase in violent moped crime in Wandsworth and ask them to 1) properly fund the Met Police so that we can have more officers/cars on the beat rather than fewer and 2) support the efforts of Sergeant Tim Rogers (Tim.Rogers@polfed.org) of the Police Federation who’s leading the campaign to change the law to protect police in pursuit. (See more here:   http://www.polfed.org/campaigning/trained_drivers.aspx)

I will also ask them to communicate more directly with local residents about the crime epidemic.  I have yet to see anything outside of the nightly news.

Here’s a link to MOPAC:
https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/ma ... rime-mopac

Below are further details / data about moped crime in London and Wandsworth (from simple internet searches)

If you feel strongly about your personal security in Wandsworth, I urge you to write to those above to ask for ACTION.   

Thank you-

<name removed>
Post Reply
chorister
Posts: 628
Joined: Oct 2016
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby chorister » Sun Sep 02, 2018 5:00 pm

Nothing of what follows should be taken as in any way minimising the awful experience you have had, or my admiration for you in setting it all out in such a coherent and practical way.

But there is one further thing we can all do.  We have to indicate that we are willing to pay more in tax and council tax.  Public spending is in the end a zero sum game, so if we are not willing to pay more ourselves, then someone else will have to see their priority suffer to provide more police resources.
Last edited by chorister on Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
Post Reply
Beancounter
Posts: 64
Joined: Oct 2017
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby Beancounter » Mon Sep 03, 2018 7:54 am

If the likes of Amazon, Boots and Starbucks paid proper taxes and the government stopped pandering to their pals we could afford a proper police force.
Post Reply
chorister
Posts: 628
Joined: Oct 2016
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby chorister » Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:29 am

Beancounter - yes, it's always someone else's responsibility ……...
Post Reply
gill44
Posts: 70
Joined: Aug 2015
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby gill44 » Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:37 am

One practical item to have with you is Farb Gel - a legal alternative to pepper spray - which disarms the attacker to a few vital seconds by spraying them with red colour. It may help keep your valuables. Buy it online.
Post Reply
https://www.thedogfatheruk.com/
https://frameless.com/?utm_source=NVN&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=Opening_Campaign&utm_id=HPB
http://www.ameliesfollies.co.uk/
https://merrygoround.club/
https://www.batchandthyme.com
https://www.thecrooshhub.com/
http://www.ayrtonbespoke.com/
https://theluxurytravelboutique.com/offers/
https://paintthetowngreen.biz
https://www.thesmartclinics.co.uk/
https://maroconstruction.co.uk/
https://www.youbeyou.co.uk/
https://visitclaphamjunction.com/
https://cookingattheshed.co.uk/
https://thebronteclinic.com/
https://nappyvalleynet.com/wellbeing-guide
https://www.westminster-wealth.com/andrew-rankin-enquiries
TreacleBell
Posts: 19
Joined: Aug 2014
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby TreacleBell » Mon Sep 03, 2018 9:16 am

Thank you for sharing your awful experience. I appreciate you letting us all know.
Post Reply
AJH1878
Posts: 1
Joined: Sep 2018
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby AJH1878 » Mon Sep 03, 2018 9:24 am

Tks for sharing. Hope you and your children are able to recover.

Unfortunately it might be time for a private security team to operate in the area. The government/police can’t manage it right now.

I’m of the opinion there maybe sufficient local residential interest. One to explore
Post Reply
Denwand
Posts: 469
Joined: Sep 2013
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby Denwand » Mon Sep 03, 2018 10:12 am

Awful experience!

But thanks for sharing the lessons learnt...

...also good to know that they sometimes attack when they are on their own (I previously thought it was only when they had a pillion or anther thug on a moped as back up)

They must have cleverly corned you if they could hold the moped up and brandish a knife at the same time...were you cornered and unable to run away or just mortified by the shock of it?
 
Post Reply
storm35
Posts: 111
Joined: May 2013
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby storm35 » Mon Sep 03, 2018 3:07 pm

The issue we have is just a few months ago, the government were still denying that police cuts have anything to do with rising crime numbers, despite leaked reports from the Home Office saying it does, and despite Sadiq publicly saying so. So the people in charge dont actually think we need more police on the streets which to you, me and everyone else is rubbish. Meanwhile these louts are cruising our streets terrorising left right and centre, knowing they can get away with it. Paying more council tax is not going to fix it - the more council tax we pay, the less "grant" we receive from central government to police our area and the end sum is still the same. I totally agree with the OP that we need to all start emailing, Facebooking and tweeting our outrage to Marsha De Cordova and Sadiq. They're not government but they are our representatives and we need to help them fight the powers that be. 
Post Reply
https://theluxurytravelboutique.com/offers/
https://nappyvalleynet.com/wellbeing-guide
https://maroconstruction.co.uk/
https://cookingattheshed.co.uk/
https://merrygoround.club/
movingsouth
Posts: 8
Joined: Nov 2017
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby movingsouth » Mon Sep 03, 2018 4:40 pm

Complaining on the internet about party politics and police priorities/budgets is just venting that will get you nowhere.

As someone said, maybe it's time to take action and fund a private police force to patrol the streets rather than leave our security in the hands of government entities that are trying to solve much bigger issues than our local ones. Granted there will be massive free rider issues but there must be decent number of families that have the disposable income to make this happen round here. My local Bobby is one such service.
Post Reply
ppe
Posts: 38
Joined: Jun 2013
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby ppe » Mon Sep 03, 2018 5:22 pm

Just wanted to add support to the original OP and hope that he and the children will recover from such a horrendous experience as soon as possible. I was walking past there today and thinking what an unlikely place for something like that to happen and situation seems to be getting worse, reading other's experiences on this site alone. Well done to him for posting the grounded advice he did too - I will be taking up his suggestions on writing to the relevant bodies - the more people who do this the more possibility that (any) change will be undertaken.

Best wishes to you OP.
 
Post Reply
storm35
Posts: 111
Joined: May 2013
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby storm35 » Mon Sep 03, 2018 5:38 pm

Private police forcing is a great idea for keeping your own and immediate surrounding streets safe but we could get mugged anywhere in SW London now. It would definitely help keep your mopeds and cars from being stolen and your houses from being burgled, but unless it is taken up on a massive scale, its not going to stop me getting mugged on any street walking home from the Tube each evening or a mum walking across the common with her kids? We still need to write to the powers that be if we want to help make change.
Post Reply
MelissaH
Posts: 13
Joined: Feb 2017
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby MelissaH » Tue Sep 04, 2018 8:29 am

I'm sooo sorry you had this very traumatic experience. It must have been even worse for you worrying about the impact on your children. I run The Parent Practice in Balham and I wondered if you would like a complimentary call to chat through how to help your kids deal with the trauma - we'd be glad to help. We're a local organisation and very concerned that this sort of thing is happening on our doorstep.
Post Reply
https://www.westminster-wealth.com/andrew-rankin-enquiries
http://www.ameliesfollies.co.uk/
https://www.thecrooshhub.com/
https://paintthetowngreen.biz
https://www.thesmartclinics.co.uk/
storm35
Posts: 111
Joined: May 2013
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby storm35 » Thu Sep 06, 2018 7:01 pm

Guys, this link is starting to do the rounds. Its a chance for us to tell the Met about how we feel about what is happening and get something done. Please choose the "moped enable theft and robbery"  - the numbers are going up rapidly as its been posted on next door and is gaining some traction whereas in previous months it has had zero participation.
https://www.met.police.uk/a/your-area/m ... northcote/
Post Reply
sw19newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Jan 2018
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: SW11 mugged at knifepoint in front of our 3 kids

Postby sw19newbie » Mon Sep 10, 2018 7:24 am

On 31st July I was walking at lunch time near to Screwfix on York Road SW11.

I had my phone in my hand when felt that someone had a go at grabbing it and it was a guy from a moped.

Luckily for me I had a good grip of it and kept my phone with me, but it was a dangerous move as they turn around seemingly with the intention to hurt me.

I was in luck as the Screwfix was full of tradies and I quickly sought refuge between them.

The moped sped up and it happens they triggered the speed camera in York road.

I called the police and gave them the license plate and described how the got caught in the speed trap and a photo would be available plus video from the Screwfix cctv and witnesses.

It was very disappointing to receive a letter 2 weeks later saying they had to close the case because not enough information was available.

One of the guys that works in Screwfix told me I shouldn’t walk with my phone in my hand in that area, which indicated this is a hot area for this.

I really wish more was done around it.
Post Reply

Start a conversation
To create a new post and start a new conversation, please click on the button.