At the Safer Neighbourhood Team Panel on the 7th December there were a number of topics discussed:
1) Attacks and mugging on the midnight walk path through Kennington Park
2) Ward priorities
3) Operation Hannah, the Police's proposals to support local policing
With the Friends of Kennington Path invited we discussed the spate of serious attacks on residents in the early hours using the Kennington Night path cut through. Nearly 30 attacks, some exceedingly serious, have occurred and the geography and inability to police the path 24 hours a day has led gangs of young people to see this as easy pickings.
Oval Labour is pushing for it to be closed immediately until a solution can be found which will guarantee the safety of the general public. However a number of local residents are campaigning to keep it open, threatening legal challenge if it is closed.
It is not clear that most people are aware of the attacks and signage highlighting the dangers of the park are being put in as soon as possible, even if this damages the hard won reputation of the park.
We will continue to push for the pathway to be closed at the same time as the park, but until then we seriously advise people to add an extra 5 minutes to their journey home and use safer main roads around the side of the park.
To this end Kennington Night Path discussions are ongoing and it is going to be added to the 3 ward priorities.
Also a priority is drug dealing and ASB at the base of Bannerman House and on Ashmole Estate generally. The third priority is Vauxhall Street Population issues .
We also heard about Operation Hannah, a pilot to restructure the Police and strengthen safer neighbourhood Teams. Oval's Labour Councillors welcome extra local Police officers as long as they are actually gong to be supporting our local SNT, that the SNT will be remaining in the ward not moved near Waterloo and that the terms and conditions being proposed by the Police do not mean that we lose our existing team.
Thanks as always goes to representatives from various residents groups; IMPACT, Fentiman Road Residents Association; Graham House; Oval Partnership and of course colleagues from Community Safety and the local
Police.
If you want a representative from your local group to be invited or wish for your Labour Councillors to raise anything on your behalf anonymously then please email on Oval@labour.org.uk or call 0207 091 9010
