GET IN TOUCH
Get involved: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting WFNEWS to 80360 or email » »
WOODFORD: Tube station is most crime-ridden in borough
9:30am Tuesday 11th November 2008
WOODFORD station is the most crime-ridden tube stop in Redbridge, new figures have revealed.
During the past year, over 150 offences have been reported at the transport hub, in comparison to an average of just 33 crimes in the borough’s other tube stations.
Nearby resident of Woodford station, Brenda Fulton, said the level of crime in the area was “a disgrace.”
She added: “It’s so bad in this area. The underpass below Woodford station really is terrible. When I was younger I used to walk through it all the time but now I never use it. I just couln’t even think about it.
“Without a shadow of a doubt we need more police on the streets. If I see a police car once in six months I’m lucky.”
Shaun Curry, whose fiance had her bike stolen from outside South Woodford Station, said: “It doesn’t surprise me that much, but I would have thought there would be more reported crimes in places like Wanstead.
“I think the deterrent is having more people and police around. But it must be hard for the police when they have such stretched resources, and the quality of CCTV is never that great.”
The station-by-station breakdown reveals that at Woodford station there were 81 cases of criminal damage reported, 11 violent offences and 12 thefts from passengers.
At South Woodford, there were a total of 48 crimes reported, with 26 at Wanstead station and 44 at Snaresbrook.
Gants Hill had the fewest reported crimes, with a total of just 21.
A spokeswoman for the British Transport Police (BTP) said the figures needed to be taken with caution.
She said: “Crime statistics are not always accurate indicators of levels of crime. Police activity to target particular offences, changes in reporting patterns and other factors, such as an increase in the size of the infrastructure, can affect crime figures dramatically.
“Crime statistics need to be viewed in their context. For instance busy stations will inevitably generate more reported crime than those that are less busy.”
Despite the figures, total reported crime is still down at the borough’s stations by almost a quarter compared with the year before.
Your Say Your Guardian
InsolentMinx, Woodford Green says...
11:35am Tue 11 Nov 08
Even if they employed a 20-30 year old physically fit male to work on the platform it might make these rowdy kids think twice before breaking the law, aside from all the old lazy people that work there.
I think i've spotted Police there once or twice maybe...
But I've seen teenagers crawling under barriers as the fat lazy ticket guy sits in his little box playing on his phone with a smile on his face, ocassionally looking up at the laughing degenerates obviously wondering what's so funny but not realising that they've just dodged the fare.
I've seen rowdy youngers forcing the seals open and picking up the emergency phones to talk to the operator on the other end as if it's a taxi service, meanwhile the workers on the platform just watch or ignore it.
I've no doubt there's rougher stations, but everyone at Woodford is a pushover.
It also doesn't help that the southside exit closes at 9pm, so everyone coming back from London has to exit at the north side and go through the dodgy subway underpass to get to the other side of the track.
Morris Hickey, Redbridge says...
11:44am Tue 11 Nov 08
Bloody outrageous. Utterly bad driving, and no penalty. The police refusal to attend might have failed to discover driving under the influence of drink or drugs, driving without a licence or insurance, driving a stolen vehicle, driving whilst disqualified, carrying either stolen goods or housebreaking equipment, and much more.
Reported crime is allegedly falling, and the bloody coppers don't bother to investigate.
Bert Smell, Leyton says...
6:27pm Wed 12 Nov 08
Morris Hickey, Redbridge says...
8:30am Thu 13 Nov 08
Your sayYour Guardian
Add your comment
Register for a FREE East London and West Essex Guardian Series account and you can have your say on today's news and sport by adding comments on articles we publish. The best comments may even get published in the paper.
Please register now or sign in below to continue.
In this section
- WANSTEAD: New Tesco to open on high street
- WOODFORD GREEN: Biker is killed by cricket star's dad
- REDBRIDGE: Police search public for knives
- STH WOODFORD: Council announces plans to rebuild school
- WOODFORD GRN: Pharmaceutical robbery
- ILFORD: Park reopens after 'suspect device' alert
- WANSTEAD: Dog walker falls through ice
- STH WOODFORD: M&S branch saved from the chop
- REDBRIDGE: Borough's religious leaders 'regret' conflict in Gaza
- STH WOODFORD: WW2 evacuees reunited after 68 years
Sponsored Links
LOCAL LINKS
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Bert Small, Leyton says...
10:45am Tue 11 Nov 08
But the again, overall crime is down they say?
What rubbish!