Beef up safety on canal after spate of muggings, say Wick residents
Coordinating efforts: Vilmar Pellisson. Photograph: Josh Loeb
Armed robbers are the focus of a crackdown being spearheaded by Hackney Wick residents following a spate of muggings on the canal towpath.
The Hackney Wick and Fish Island Neighbourhood Safety Group has launched a poster campaign to warn cyclists and pedestrians on the Lee Navigation Canal about the danger.
Branding consultant Vilmar Pellisson, 39, who lives in Wick and runs the Urban Village Network, has been compiling records of violent incidents to put pressure on the police to increase patrols.
He said he knew of a number of incidents in recent months in which walkers had been robbed at knifepoint at night, adding that he welcomed plans to install new street lights on the poorly-lit towpath.
Mr Pellisson said: “The problem is becoming chronic and quite critical.
“Muggers have free reign in this area and can do whatever they want. It seems women in particular are their preferred target.
“Because of the regeneration going on there is going to be a new demographic in this area.
“More affluent people will be coming in, so this issue is going to get even worse.”
Other residents have called for more CCTV cameras.
Charlie Dixon, who lives on Fish Island and works for a production company, was robbed at knifepoint in her home last summer.
She said: “More patrols would be great.
“I know the police are really stretched at the moment, but what really troubled me was that after I was robbed, I didn’t notice any increased police presence. Since then there have been further incidents. A couple of weeks ago a woman was pushed to the ground and mugged on the canal.
“I feel like we are a bit off the radar here.”
Ms Dixon said five men with their faces covered entered her property and stole her phone and laptop after forcing their way through her front door and hitting her.
She said: “Afterwards I was really scared.
“I’m still jumpy because of it.”
Chief Inspector Andy Walker from Hackney’s Neighbourhood Policing unit said: “We are aware of these robberies.
“We have made a number of arrests recently and it appears this has had an impact in reducing these crimes.
“As well as high-visibility police patrols on the towpath we also have plain-clothes officers in the area and we are being assisted by colleagues from the Marine Policing Unit to keep the canal and the adjacent paths safe.
“Robberies in Hackney are at a ten-year low but we know that this sort of crime has a huge impact on victims so we will continue to do everything we can to fight this type of crime.”
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Big changes afoot in Hackney Wick as LLDC consults on regeneration plans