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| Estate plea for more police
after shooting |
Minister warns: ‘People are
very fearful around here’
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Rev Rudi Pedro: ‘normally a decent estate’
‘Once-peaceful’ Elthorne estate
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A MAN was shot in the head on Sunday when violence returned to
Archway’s trouble-torn Elthorne estate.
Police raced to Partington Close after 11pm when tenants reported
sounds of gunshots. When police arrived, the street was empty and
there was no sign of victim or gunman.
Later, a young black man was admitted to hospital, where he was
said to be in a stable condition.
Detectives from Operation Trident, which investigates gun crime
in the black community, are interviewing the injured man.
The shooting is the latest in a series of violent incidents which
have plagued the estate.
Hornsey Rise Baptist Church minister the Rev Rudi Pedro has called
for more police patrols on the estate, where residents fear going
out after dark.
Police admit they were forced to scale down patrols on the neat
red-brick estate off St John’s Way because extra manpower was
diverted to anti-terrorist duties.
In recent months, a man has been shot in the leg in Mulkern Road
and a young man sustained an injury to the base of his brain in
an attack. A resident who went to his aid had her windows pushed
in the following morning.
A young Bulgarian man was repeatedly stabbed and is still fighting
for his life at Whittington Hospital in Archway after being attacked
outside Hornsey Rise Baptist Church in Hazellville Road.
The estate is just half a mile from the scene of the bus stabbing
in which Richard Whelan died last month.
Mr Pedro said: “People are very fearful around here. It’s
not surprising because we’ve had a lot of nasty incidents lately.
“I can understand the police have their priorities but we’ve
got problems here and we need them to show a presence.
“This is normally a thoroughly decent estate and a good community
but recently people have been seen hanging around and there is a
perception that they are up to no good.”
Tenant association representatives have told police about a gang
from outside the estate who were seen carrying guns and knives and
have been intimidating youths.
A reporter from the Tribune who interviewed tenants on the estate
on Monday evening found many of them fearful.
One woman said: “We won’t go out after dark. There’s
too much tension on the estate. Everyone would feel a lot better
if we had a few police around.”
Eileen Sanchez, chairwoman of Holbrook Tenant Management Co-op,
said: “More and more of our residents are feeling unsafe. Our
once-peaceful estate now has the reputation of being a dangerous
place to go.
“Well, our estate has a lot of decent people living on it,
and we shouldn’t have our reputation ruined and our peace and
security threatened by a bunch of young outsiders.
“It’s not just the police who must take action. Islington
Council also has a duty to liaise with the police and help protect
our safety and security.” |
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