The police issued this statement about the shooting:
North Killingholme, Lincs - 23rd Sep '26
5 days ago
Showing posts with label gun crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gun crime. Show all posts
Monday, 30 April 2012
12-year-old injured in Clapton shooting
The police issued this statement about the shooting:
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Police target Turkish social clubs, was it a success?
A police press release, mentioned briefly in the Hackney Gazette on March 10, described raids on Turkish social clubs that took place at the end of February.
The motives for the recent raids was concern about recent gun incidents and they will have been alarming in the context of the outbreak of a gang war of 2009... (Blood and Property had a look at the links between Turkish crime and Turkish Politics last year).
Adana Social Club, 59 Stoke Newington High Street, N16
Detective Sergeant Simon Smith of Hackney Borough’s Intelligence Unit, said: “This operation was a great success and demonstrated our commitment to ensuring the safety of all communities in Hackney. During the operation we were approached by many members of the Turkish community, expressing their approval at police action.”
Chief Inspector Jane Easton of Hackney Safer Neighbourhoods, said: “We have disrupted the activities of the small minority of licensees who think they can act outside the law. We will be keeping a close watch on these venues and others to ensure that they remain a safe environment for their clientele and operate in a responsible fashion.”
Nothing particularly significant was found, at least not compared to raids on suspected Turkish gang-related properties back in 2003. Back then the police arrested several people and found guns, machetes, stolen mobile phones counterfeit money and a torture chamber with hooks suspended from the ceiling and electric cables allegedly used to discipline Turkish businessmen who didn't pay protection money.
The motives for the recent raids was concern about recent gun incidents and they will have been alarming in the context of the outbreak of a gang war of 2009... (Blood and Property had a look at the links between Turkish crime and Turkish Politics last year).
On the face of it the raids didn't turn up much but may be they're more focused on improving police relations with the Turkish community?
The police said: "The operation was planned as a result of recent incidents involving firearms in the vicinity of Turkish sports and social clubs on the borough, as well as heightened concern from Hackney’s Turkish community."
Four venues were targeted on the night:
Karadeniz Club - 109 Green Lanes, N5
What the police found: Three unlicensed gaming machines seized. Closure notice served on the premises, following several firearms-related incidents in the vicinity of the club.
What the police found: Three unlicensed gaming machines seized. Closure notice served on the premises, following several firearms-related incidents in the vicinity of the club.
Dilligra Social Club - 113 Green Lanes, N5
What the police found: Seven unlicensed gaming machines seized.
What the police found: Seven unlicensed gaming machines seized.
Efes Snooker Hall, Stoke Newington Road, N16
What the police found:The premises was found to be abstracting electricity to the value of several thousand pounds. By arrangement with EDF Energy, the owner has since paid this bill in full.
What the police found:The premises was found to be abstracting electricity to the value of several thousand pounds. By arrangement with EDF Energy, the owner has since paid this bill in full.
Adana Social Club, 59 Stoke Newington High Street, N16
What the police found: Ten unlicensed gaming machines identified.
Prosecutions for violation of gambling law may follow. Other venues identified by Hackney Police as worthy of attention will be subject to an education programme, to ensure licensees are clear of their responsibilities.
Detective Sergeant Simon Smith of Hackney Borough’s Intelligence Unit, said: “This operation was a great success and demonstrated our commitment to ensuring the safety of all communities in Hackney. During the operation we were approached by many members of the Turkish community, expressing their approval at police action.”
Chief Inspector Jane Easton of Hackney Safer Neighbourhoods, said: “We have disrupted the activities of the small minority of licensees who think they can act outside the law. We will be keeping a close watch on these venues and others to ensure that they remain a safe environment for their clientele and operate in a responsible fashion.”
Blood and Property tried to untangle some of convoluted world of Turkish crime and Turkish politics - not sure how successful it was but an interesting story of intrigue and corruption non-the-less.
Monday, 13 December 2010
Gangs or no gangs...will we ever know?
When a Hackney youth club closed down in August the Hackney Gazette reported (21 Oct) that it had something to do with a lease... or some "minor refurbishments".
A week later, in a full council meeting, Hoxton councillor Philip Glanville claimed that the club's management had closed it down because of gangs. He said that the claims had been made in emails to the council from SkyWay, the organisation which runs the Blue Hut youth club.
In the Gazette's October story a council spokesperson said that the club would re-open in the new year. Those plans are still in place but the story of the club's closure remains mysterious because of these claims about gangs.
Six months before the club was closed down by the alleged gang activity the CYP Scrutiny Commission visited and reported that: 'Staff at the Blue Hut said that the results so far have been very positive and they have seen a number of the peers grow in maturity & confidence..."
Glanville said that when Blue Hut closed "none of us could really believe that turn of events" adding that "SkyWay's initial response was that it was plagued by problems, we were worried that events had so quickly changed for the worst, or that something may have been misrepresented".
Skyway's allegations were pursued by Hoxton's Labour councillors - Clayeon Mackenzie, Philip Glanville and Carole Williams. Cllr Glanville said that the Dalston-based SkyWay didn't report these gang-related problems to the police or the council or anyone else.
He brought the issue to the attention of a full council meeting in October when a report by the Children and Young People (CYP) Scrutiny Commission was published which claimed that Blue Hut was running well.
The report described the Blue Hut project as one that dealt specifically with gangs. It trained
15-24-year-olds to show their peers that, "there is an alternative to the gangs many young people will see on a daily basis."
Six months before the club was closed down by the alleged gang activity the CYP Scrutiny Commission visited and reported that: 'Staff at the Blue Hut said that the results so far have been very positive and they have seen a number of the peers grow in maturity & confidence..."
Glanville said that when Blue Hut closed "none of us could really believe that turn of events" adding that "SkyWay's initial response was that it was plagued by problems, we were worried that events had so quickly changed for the worst, or that something may have been misrepresented".
Now the centre could reopen with no further explanation of the alleged gang problem and why it wasn't reported.
Blood and Property called SkyWay but no one would comment or even say that the organisation was officially making "no comment".
The reopening may be good news but something must have been wrong for this to have happened. Either there was a gang problem or there wasn't. It seems unlikey that the decision by SkyWay to shut down the project was only due to a problem with a fire escape as it is now being portrayed.
Hopefully it hasn't been made difficult for SkyWay to explain the true nature of the situation.
In April a 16-year-old girl was shot dead in a Hoxton chicken shop (Hackney Hive report with interesting comments) which resulted in a number of teenagers as well as a couple of men in their twenties being charged.
So the idea that there might be a gang problem in Hoxton is not exactly far-fetched - it just doesn't sound like a valid reason to close down a project designed to deal with gang problems.
Sunday, 28 November 2010
'An insult to the people of Hackney' or an injury?
The Local Government Chronicle's chief reporter has provided more terrifying insights into the government's attitude to Hackney as Mayor Pipe does his best to get some straight answers about cuts. (More background here)
It is disturbing stuff. Pipe told the LGC reporter that the government's response to his questions about the cuts were an 'insult to the people of Hackney'. Sadly the end result is more likely to be an injury: evidence that the government will let places like Hackney become dysfunctional casualties of the cuts.
A story about the potential demise of Operation Trident - in the Guardian and the BBC - demonstrates that some of these assaults on life in Hackney may not be directly aimed at the borough. The Hackney Gazette had a source claiming that these reports were 'taken out of context' which is hardly a convincing denial.
And the official 'denial' is nothing of the sort - it had a Hackney Police spokeswoman saying the police were committed to building on the success of Trident, not necessarily with Trident.
Trident could even stay as it is and Hackney still lose out. A slight shift in political priorities at the top could see the task force's efforts concentrated on other boroughs - Hackney and Lambeth have been the main recipients of Trident's efforts.
There is also the question of elected police chiefs and the effect that could have on places like Hackney - watch The Wire to see what goes on behind the scenes in a politicised police force.
Sunday, 24 October 2010
Turkish crime - Turkish politics
(UPDATE February 2012): http://bloodandproperty.blogspot.com/2012/02/police-watch-watch.html
This month a team of Hackney police officers returned home from a trip to Turkey. The trip was to "learn more about the culture, to strengthen existing relationships with Hackney's Turkish and Kurdish communities."
The BBC investigation mentions another character, Nurretin Guven. He, and another convicted drug dealer, Hamit Gokenc, were both allegedly linked to a right-wing nationalist group and to attempts to capture or assassinate PKK and MLPK leaders. (Most of these links were taken from this article: Turkish Conflicts: PKK, Grey Wolves. I don't know if the claims made in it are correct.)
The BBC's 2006 story about a clampdown on the notorious Bombacilar said: "Matters came to a head on 9 November 2002 when the Bombacilar clashed with their PKK/Kadek rivals" which led to a street battle along Green Lanes and the death of one man. The PKK being the far-left Kurdish nationalist party and listed as terrorist organisation in the USA and Europe.
The violence errupted again in 2009 with several tit-for-tat shootings but this time the Bombacillar were believed to be in conflict with the Tottenham Boys. According to the Evening Standard both gangs are Turkish Kurds.
Blood and Property spoke to a Turkey expert from a well-known London-based institution who did not want to be named. He said that Turkish communities, like those in Hackney and Haringey, were more polarised than Turkish/Kurdish communities in Turkey itself. He also said that events, like a recent PKK terrorist attack in Istanbul, could result in increased tensions in communities like those in North London.
This month a team of Hackney police officers returned home from a trip to Turkey. The trip was to "learn more about the culture, to strengthen existing relationships with Hackney's Turkish and Kurdish communities."
They have some interesting stuff to look at:
Last week the BBC published this story: "Could Turkish and Kurdish gangs become the new 'mafia'?"
Last week the BBC published this story: "Could Turkish and Kurdish gangs become the new 'mafia'?"
What are the MLKP and the PKK? They exist in Hackney and appear to be in conflict with the Bombacilar gang cited as a cause of Turkish gang violence in Hackney.
(PKK marching through Dalston in 2008. But marching not illegal in the UK or Hackney? And marching again in 2010 may day march. Story in the Observer, 2002 about MLKP and the world's longest hungerstrike, 49 dead. (Feb 2010 Socialist Worker))
CRIME AND POLITICS COCKTAIL:
In 2007 BBC Radio Four's File on Four transcript March 2007: "Drugs" which investigated the how Baybasin (leader of Bombacilar) had a deal with HM Customs which ran him as an informer.
The BBC investigation mentions another character, Nurretin Guven. He, and another convicted drug dealer, Hamit Gokenc, were both allegedly linked to a right-wing nationalist group and to attempts to capture or assassinate PKK and MLPK leaders. (Most of these links were taken from this article: Turkish Conflicts: PKK, Grey Wolves. I don't know if the claims made in it are correct.)
The BBC's 2006 story about a clampdown on the notorious Bombacilar said: "Matters came to a head on 9 November 2002 when the Bombacilar clashed with their PKK/Kadek rivals" which led to a street battle along Green Lanes and the death of one man. The PKK being the far-left Kurdish nationalist party and listed as terrorist organisation in the USA and Europe.
The violence errupted again in 2009 with several tit-for-tat shootings but this time the Bombacillar were believed to be in conflict with the Tottenham Boys. According to the Evening Standard both gangs are Turkish Kurds.
Blood and Property spoke to a Turkey expert from a well-known London-based institution who did not want to be named. He said that Turkish communities, like those in Hackney and Haringey, were more polarised than Turkish/Kurdish communities in Turkey itself. He also said that events, like a recent PKK terrorist attack in Istanbul, could result in increased tensions in communities like those in North London.
Some back ground:
A piece of research done in 2008 by academics at Sussex University:
"Since the enactment of the 2001 Terrorism Act in the UK, the PKK has been listed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government. Kurds from Turkey who claim asylum in the UK stating persecution due to membership of, or association with, the PKK could risk imprisonment under the Terrorism Act. At the same time (2000) the Kurdish television station MED-TV, which was broadcast from the UK, was closed down by the British government due to breaches of impartiality and claims that it incited people to commit criminal acts. These events highlight how diaspora politics and the struggle for Kurdish national recognition have the potential to escalate into a sensitive political issue between the UK and Turkey."
But then the same research suggests it's more to do with integrating into life in a Western city:
According to academic research:
In policy terms, the absence of youth centres, and hence of activities for young immigrant
origin people to engage in, is seen as one reason behind the growth of Turkish and Kurdish gangs. These gangs are usually ethnically differentiated, although some mixing occurs too, according to our key informants. Identity is seen as a central issue:
If they don’t belong to an identity, they tend to do a lot of criminal, anti-social behaviour. They form mafia street-gangs. Fighting and anti-social behaviour is becoming a problem (community centre representative). Whether the problem of youth crime lies in issues of identity, or lack thereof, is a moot point. What is less contentious is the strong correlation between poverty and alienation."
A quote from the "'Turks' in London: Shades of Invisibility and the Shifting"
This is why their community organisations insist that using the term ‘Turkish-speaking community’ is not neutral: it implies that ‘Turkish Kurds’ somehow ‘belong’ to Turkey, and that their separate Kurdish identity does not merit recognition. Their claims as a people and nation are at times found to be at odds with anti-terrorist legislation in the UK and with the UK’s position in favour of Turkey joining the EU.10
9 In practice, the centres which call themselves ‘Turkish and Kurdish community centres’ are either Turkish- or Kurdish-dominated, with a very small minority of Turkish Cypriots involved.
10 Since the enactment of the 2001 Terrorism Act in the UK, the PKK has been listed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government. Kurds from Turkey who claim asylum in the UK stating persecution due to membership of, or association with, the PKK could risk imprisonment under the Terrorism Act. At the same time (2000) the Kurdish television station MED-TV, which was broadcast from the UK, was closed down by the British government due to breaches of impartiality and claims that it incited people to commit criminal acts. These events highlight how diaspora politics and the struggle for Kurdish national recognition have the potential to escalate into a sensitive political issue between the UK and Turkey.
In policy terms, the absence of youth centres, and hence of activities for young immigrant origin people to engage in, is seen as one reason behind the growth of Turkish and Kurdish gangs. These gangs are usually ethnically differentiated, although some mixing occurs too, according to our key informants. Identity is seen as a central issue:
If they don’t belong to an identity, they tend to do a lot of criminal, anti-social behaviour. They form mafia street-gangs. Fighting and anti-social behaviour is becoming a problem (community centre representative). Whether the problem of youth crime lies in issues of identity, or lack thereof, is a moot point. What is less contentious is the strong correlation between poverty and alienation.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2005: Young Turks and Kurds: a set of invisible disadvantaged groups.
"There is clearly an ethnic enclave present, consisting not just of sandwich and kebab shops but many other family businesses that provide extensive services and, in many ways, a parallel micro-economy. This is clearly a resource not often available to all disadvantaged groups, for example to indigenous white working-class neighbourhoods. But it has to be stressed that this resource comes at a price. Its presence may be a contributing factor in the young people's relative disengagement with the broader structure of labour market opportunities and can lead to them being trapped in the ethnic enclave.
"The young people are ambivalent about what it means to be British and reluctant to adopt that identity. Yet at the same time, most do not simply use a Turkish identity either. They usually choose multiple ethnic identities, but in the majority of cases, the term 'British' is not (yet) part of that plurality. This is complicated by the fact that the majority of Kurds refused to self-identify as Turks."
A piece of research done in 2008 by academics at Sussex University:
"Since the enactment of the 2001 Terrorism Act in the UK, the PKK has been listed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government. Kurds from Turkey who claim asylum in the UK stating persecution due to membership of, or association with, the PKK could risk imprisonment under the Terrorism Act. At the same time (2000) the Kurdish television station MED-TV, which was broadcast from the UK, was closed down by the British government due to breaches of impartiality and claims that it incited people to commit criminal acts. These events highlight how diaspora politics and the struggle for Kurdish national recognition have the potential to escalate into a sensitive political issue between the UK and Turkey."
But then the same research suggests it's more to do with integrating into life in a Western city:
According to academic research:
In policy terms, the absence of youth centres, and hence of activities for young immigrant
origin people to engage in, is seen as one reason behind the growth of Turkish and Kurdish gangs. These gangs are usually ethnically differentiated, although some mixing occurs too, according to our key informants. Identity is seen as a central issue:
If they don’t belong to an identity, they tend to do a lot of criminal, anti-social behaviour. They form mafia street-gangs. Fighting and anti-social behaviour is becoming a problem (community centre representative). Whether the problem of youth crime lies in issues of identity, or lack thereof, is a moot point. What is less contentious is the strong correlation between poverty and alienation."
A quote from the "'Turks' in London: Shades of Invisibility and the Shifting"
This is why their community organisations insist that using the term ‘Turkish-speaking community’ is not neutral: it implies that ‘Turkish Kurds’ somehow ‘belong’ to Turkey, and that their separate Kurdish identity does not merit recognition. Their claims as a people and nation are at times found to be at odds with anti-terrorist legislation in the UK and with the UK’s position in favour of Turkey joining the EU.10
9 In practice, the centres which call themselves ‘Turkish and Kurdish community centres’ are either Turkish- or Kurdish-dominated, with a very small minority of Turkish Cypriots involved.
10 Since the enactment of the 2001 Terrorism Act in the UK, the PKK has been listed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government. Kurds from Turkey who claim asylum in the UK stating persecution due to membership of, or association with, the PKK could risk imprisonment under the Terrorism Act. At the same time (2000) the Kurdish television station MED-TV, which was broadcast from the UK, was closed down by the British government due to breaches of impartiality and claims that it incited people to commit criminal acts. These events highlight how diaspora politics and the struggle for Kurdish national recognition have the potential to escalate into a sensitive political issue between the UK and Turkey.
In policy terms, the absence of youth centres, and hence of activities for young immigrant origin people to engage in, is seen as one reason behind the growth of Turkish and Kurdish gangs. These gangs are usually ethnically differentiated, although some mixing occurs too, according to our key informants. Identity is seen as a central issue:
If they don’t belong to an identity, they tend to do a lot of criminal, anti-social behaviour. They form mafia street-gangs. Fighting and anti-social behaviour is becoming a problem (community centre representative). Whether the problem of youth crime lies in issues of identity, or lack thereof, is a moot point. What is less contentious is the strong correlation between poverty and alienation.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2005: Young Turks and Kurds: a set of invisible disadvantaged groups.
"There is clearly an ethnic enclave present, consisting not just of sandwich and kebab shops but many other family businesses that provide extensive services and, in many ways, a parallel micro-economy. This is clearly a resource not often available to all disadvantaged groups, for example to indigenous white working-class neighbourhoods. But it has to be stressed that this resource comes at a price. Its presence may be a contributing factor in the young people's relative disengagement with the broader structure of labour market opportunities and can lead to them being trapped in the ethnic enclave.
"The young people are ambivalent about what it means to be British and reluctant to adopt that identity. Yet at the same time, most do not simply use a Turkish identity either. They usually choose multiple ethnic identities, but in the majority of cases, the term 'British' is not (yet) part of that plurality. This is complicated by the fact that the majority of Kurds refused to self-identify as Turks."
Blood and Property wrote a brief follow-up piece about the conviction of the leader of the Bombacilar gang 18 months ago - Turkish Gang Problem - it remains one of the most viewed Blood and Property stories each month due to Google searches for "Bombacilar Hackney".
What do terrorist attacks in Turkey ( Five Killed...) do to Turkish communities in London: US to support Turks in suppression of Kurdish separatists.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Hackney shooting photographer threatened by police
According to this report on the National Union of Journalist's website a photographer for the Hackney Gazette was manhandled by a police sergeant and had photographs forcefully deleted from her camera.
I'm assuming that this happened soon after the shooting on Saturday (Hackney Hive version).
The NUJ reported: "A police Sergeant approached Valino telling her that she was disrupting a police investigation and to hand over her camera. After protesting to the Sergeant that she was in a public place, outside the cordon he had no right to take her camera, he grabbed her wrist and pulled out his handcuffs. Before he could put the cuffs on she handed him her camera. He then left for five minutes before coming back, bringing Valino inside the cordon and asking her to show him the images and deleting them. Valino was told that she could come back in a few hours to photograph the scene."
I'm assuming that this happened soon after the shooting on Saturday (Hackney Hive version).
The NUJ reported: "A police Sergeant approached Valino telling her that she was disrupting a police investigation and to hand over her camera. After protesting to the Sergeant that she was in a public place, outside the cordon he had no right to take her camera, he grabbed her wrist and pulled out his handcuffs. Before he could put the cuffs on she handed him her camera. He then left for five minutes before coming back, bringing Valino inside the cordon and asking her to show him the images and deleting them. Valino was told that she could come back in a few hours to photograph the scene."
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Hackney's 'groups of friends' problem. Diane on religion
Today's Hackney Gazette has a quote from Detective Chief Inspector John Macdonald who led the Eddie Thompson murder inquiry. In a piece on page three called "Assassination gun hidden in boy's bag" the Gazette refers to the murderers as "reckless gangsters".
Discussing the history of the gun used in the killing, DCI Macdonald opted for less inflamatory language: "I think that firearm was used by a group of friends as and when they needed it and used other people to hold it." Is he purposefully avoiding the word gang?
A couple of days ago Blood and Property asked whether the 15-year-old carrying the gun used to kill Eddie Thompson might have been the same 15-year-old described as a member of a Vietnamese gang by the Mirror's crime correspondent.
Diane Abbott on religion: The Church Times reports: "Diane Abbott, who was the first black woman to be elected to Parlia ment, said that more people in her constituency in Hackney attended a faith meeting on a Sunday than any type of political meeting; “so I take issues of church and faith very seriously.”
“The lesson for the Labour Party from Christian Socialist history is that we are all human beings,” she said. “We have to stay close to people, and listen and respect people. Politics can’t be about just the next opinion poll, but practice based on values.”
On her website Diane provides stats showing 47% of her constituents are Christians.
Back in February Diane told Blood and Property pretty much the same thing: "A large proportion of my constituents go to church so understanding religion is important to me. Huge amounts of money are being poured into the Christian Party here in Hackney, as your blog has pointed out. This seems to suggest religion may be on the agenda of politicians in the future but it will only really make a difference if candidates can win the support of people outside of their churches as well as within them."
Diane did not give away her personal views on religion and the supernatural when Blood and Property asked - except to say she hasn't had any supernatural experiences (Do Hackney Politicians believe in ghosts?)
But in a 2009 speech in parliament she said: "We have to look at how we work with the Churches. I admit that I am not a regular church-goer myself, but often the only bastion of order, values and boundaries in inner-city areas is the Church."
So she does go to church which is more than we know about Meg Hillier? When Blood and Property interviewed Meg she said: "I don’t really want to talk about my personal situation. It’s not relevant to my job." And on whether or not she believes in ghosts she said: "To be brutally honest I’ve got better things to do with my time than answer questions like that."
Discussing the history of the gun used in the killing, DCI Macdonald opted for less inflamatory language: "I think that firearm was used by a group of friends as and when they needed it and used other people to hold it." Is he purposefully avoiding the word gang?
A couple of days ago Blood and Property asked whether the 15-year-old carrying the gun used to kill Eddie Thompson might have been the same 15-year-old described as a member of a Vietnamese gang by the Mirror's crime correspondent.
Diane Abbott on religion: The Church Times reports: "Diane Abbott, who was the first black woman to be elected to Parlia ment, said that more people in her constituency in Hackney attended a faith meeting on a Sunday than any type of political meeting; “so I take issues of church and faith very seriously.”
“The lesson for the Labour Party from Christian Socialist history is that we are all human beings,” she said. “We have to stay close to people, and listen and respect people. Politics can’t be about just the next opinion poll, but practice based on values.”
On her website Diane provides stats showing 47% of her constituents are Christians.
Back in February Diane told Blood and Property pretty much the same thing: "A large proportion of my constituents go to church so understanding religion is important to me. Huge amounts of money are being poured into the Christian Party here in Hackney, as your blog has pointed out. This seems to suggest religion may be on the agenda of politicians in the future but it will only really make a difference if candidates can win the support of people outside of their churches as well as within them."
Diane did not give away her personal views on religion and the supernatural when Blood and Property asked - except to say she hasn't had any supernatural experiences (Do Hackney Politicians believe in ghosts?)
But in a 2009 speech in parliament she said: "We have to look at how we work with the Churches. I admit that I am not a regular church-goer myself, but often the only bastion of order, values and boundaries in inner-city areas is the Church."
So she does go to church which is more than we know about Meg Hillier? When Blood and Property interviewed Meg she said: "I don’t really want to talk about my personal situation. It’s not relevant to my job." And on whether or not she believes in ghosts she said: "To be brutally honest I’ve got better things to do with my time than answer questions like that."
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Vietnamese gang link to Eddie Thompson murder?
Are these related? This November 2009 story from the Mirror's crime correspondent sounds similar to a recent police statement about the Eddie Thompson murder.
The Mirror story is called: "15-year-old thug caught with a loaded gun used in murder gets just 12 months"
It says: "The youth, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was caught with a loaded Baikal pistol, which had been used in a murder the day before.
There was, however, a piece bit of information that set the Mirror story apart from the recent police statement: "The 15-year-old, a member of a Vietnamese gang, had a previous conviction for street robbery."
At the moment Blood and Property has no evidence that this Mirror story is about the same case (Eddie Thompson was murdered in September 2009 this case appears to have been heard a month later).
If these are the same events, then does it raise questions about gun use in Hackney? Did this weapon change hands swiftly between diverse groups or was something else going on?
How many school-age children in Hackney have these kinds of convictions and how have schools supressed gang violence?
The Mirror story is called: "15-year-old thug caught with a loaded gun used in murder gets just 12 months"
It says: "The youth, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was caught with a loaded Baikal pistol, which had been used in a murder the day before.
"Detectives found the weapon had been fired on at least four other occasions in the previous month."
Sound familiar? In Eddie Thompson's murder a 15-year-old was caught with the murder weapon a day later, it too had been used in other "non-fatal shootings" and the 15-year-old was also given a 12 month sentence.There was, however, a piece bit of information that set the Mirror story apart from the recent police statement: "The 15-year-old, a member of a Vietnamese gang, had a previous conviction for street robbery."
At the moment Blood and Property has no evidence that this Mirror story is about the same case (Eddie Thompson was murdered in September 2009 this case appears to have been heard a month later).
If these are the same events, then does it raise questions about gun use in Hackney? Did this weapon change hands swiftly between diverse groups or was something else going on?
How many school-age children in Hackney have these kinds of convictions and how have schools supressed gang violence?
Monday, 5 July 2010
15-year-old caught with murderer's gun in school bag
After three men were convicted of Eddie Thompson's murder, the detective in charge of the investigation, DCI John Macdonald said: "The day after Eddie Thompson was killed, by pure chance a 15-year-old boy was stopped close to the scene and the gun was found in his school bag."
Does this mean that the murder weapon spent the day in a Hackney school?
The story behind the gun is strange. In his statement DCI Macdonald said: "This gun was also used in some non-fatal shootings prior to the murder in and around the Pembury Estate."
At face value, this sounds like the gun was a community resource, accessible to people of all ages and for all purposes. But was it really for the exclusive use of a particular set of people - a gang?
And could the motives for these other "non-fatal shootings" have been as insignificant as those related to the death of Eddie Thompson? Although his death was a case of mistaken identity there was a target for this "hit". He was sitting in the back seat of the car. But the motives for his attempted murder appear obscure and irrelevant.
From the Evening Standard's court report:
"Kallum Morris, now 18, recruited the two gunmen to carry out the hit over a “festering dispute” he had with another person doing community service at the same school... the basis of the argument between Morris and his intended murder target was unknown: “It appears to have been pretty one-sided with Morris confronting and threatening and the other man wanting nothing of it.”
Was a 'gang' of some kind involved? Does DCI Macdonald's statement mean that this murder weapon spent the day in a Hackney school?
Police statement:
Three men have (Friday 2 July) been convicted for the murder of 29-year-old Edward Thompson in Hackney last year.
[C] Kallum MORRIS (9.6.91 - 19yrs) of no fixed abode; [E] Paul STOBY (18.9.91 - 18 yrs) of no fixed abode; and [F] Kieron LAWRENCE (18.3.91 - 19yrs) of 71 Pretoria Avenue E17 were found guilty at the Central Criminal Court.
All are due to be sentenced on 23 July.
Police were called at approximately 16:00hrs on 6 September 2009 to reports of a shooting in Amhurst Road E8.
Edward Thompson was taken to Homerton Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Mr Thompson was a front seat passenger with three male friends in a blue Volkswagen Polo which was stationary in traffic outside 70 Amhurst Road, at the junction with Marcon Place.
Stoby and Lawrence walked alongside and approached the open passenger window, firing a shot into the car before running off towards Pembury Junction and the Pembury Estate. Mr Thompson, of Kingsland Road, Hackney, was driven by his friends to hospital where he later died.
On 7 September two men [A - 20 ys; B - 20 ys] were arrested, bailed to return and later NFA'd. The following day Morris was arrested in the Ilford area and later charged with murder.
On 9 September a 15-year-old male [D] was also arrested in connection with the incident. He was later accused of possession of a firearm for which he received a 12 month sentence on 3 November 2009.
Stoby (17 years at the time) and Lawrence were arrested in mid-September and later charged.
DCI John Macdonald said: “This is another example of immature young men trying to enhance their local reputation through the use of a firearm. This gun was also used in some non-fatal shootings prior to the murder in and around the Pembury Estate. The day after Eddie Thompson was killed, by pure chance a 15-year-old boy was stopped close to the scene and the gun was found in his school bag.
“We don’t think Eddie was the intended target, so by their actions the two/three have now devastated the lives of Eddie’s partner of 11 years, his 3 young boys (8, 5, and 14 months), his mum, and all his other family and friends. Eddie was full of life, always with a smile on his face, but of course those responsible couldn’t care less about that.
“At least Eddie’s family have had the satisfaction of seeing today's convictions, and knowing that those responsible have no worthwhile future themselves”.
OTHER NEWS:
Hackney Citizen appealing for legal funds: still needs £500
Does this mean that the murder weapon spent the day in a Hackney school?
The story behind the gun is strange. In his statement DCI Macdonald said: "This gun was also used in some non-fatal shootings prior to the murder in and around the Pembury Estate."
At face value, this sounds like the gun was a community resource, accessible to people of all ages and for all purposes. But was it really for the exclusive use of a particular set of people - a gang?
And could the motives for these other "non-fatal shootings" have been as insignificant as those related to the death of Eddie Thompson? Although his death was a case of mistaken identity there was a target for this "hit". He was sitting in the back seat of the car. But the motives for his attempted murder appear obscure and irrelevant.
From the Evening Standard's court report:
"Kallum Morris, now 18, recruited the two gunmen to carry out the hit over a “festering dispute” he had with another person doing community service at the same school... the basis of the argument between Morris and his intended murder target was unknown: “It appears to have been pretty one-sided with Morris confronting and threatening and the other man wanting nothing of it.”
Was a 'gang' of some kind involved? Does DCI Macdonald's statement mean that this murder weapon spent the day in a Hackney school?
Police statement:
Three men have (Friday 2 July) been convicted for the murder of 29-year-old Edward Thompson in Hackney last year.
[C] Kallum MORRIS (9.6.91 - 19yrs) of no fixed abode; [E] Paul STOBY (18.9.91 - 18 yrs) of no fixed abode; and [F] Kieron LAWRENCE (18.3.91 - 19yrs) of 71 Pretoria Avenue E17 were found guilty at the Central Criminal Court.
All are due to be sentenced on 23 July.
Police were called at approximately 16:00hrs on 6 September 2009 to reports of a shooting in Amhurst Road E8.
Edward Thompson was taken to Homerton Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Mr Thompson was a front seat passenger with three male friends in a blue Volkswagen Polo which was stationary in traffic outside 70 Amhurst Road, at the junction with Marcon Place.
Stoby and Lawrence walked alongside and approached the open passenger window, firing a shot into the car before running off towards Pembury Junction and the Pembury Estate. Mr Thompson, of Kingsland Road, Hackney, was driven by his friends to hospital where he later died.
On 7 September two men [A - 20 ys; B - 20 ys] were arrested, bailed to return and later NFA'd. The following day Morris was arrested in the Ilford area and later charged with murder.
On 9 September a 15-year-old male [D] was also arrested in connection with the incident. He was later accused of possession of a firearm for which he received a 12 month sentence on 3 November 2009.
Stoby (17 years at the time) and Lawrence were arrested in mid-September and later charged.
DCI John Macdonald said: “This is another example of immature young men trying to enhance their local reputation through the use of a firearm. This gun was also used in some non-fatal shootings prior to the murder in and around the Pembury Estate. The day after Eddie Thompson was killed, by pure chance a 15-year-old boy was stopped close to the scene and the gun was found in his school bag.
“We don’t think Eddie was the intended target, so by their actions the two/three have now devastated the lives of Eddie’s partner of 11 years, his 3 young boys (8, 5, and 14 months), his mum, and all his other family and friends. Eddie was full of life, always with a smile on his face, but of course those responsible couldn’t care less about that.
“At least Eddie’s family have had the satisfaction of seeing today's convictions, and knowing that those responsible have no worthwhile future themselves”.
OTHER NEWS:
Hackney Citizen appealing for legal funds: still needs £500
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Police seize guns and "substantial quantity" of shotgun ammo
The police issued the statement below this afternoon. It refers to three guns being seized and "a substantial quantity of shotgun cartridges" in a raid in Homerton this morning. No doubt significant but shotguns do not seem to be used regularly in Hackney shootings. Some experts believe that if bullets for handguns were readily available then the numbers of shootings would escalate. Blood and Property piece on this issue: £2 bullets and conspiracy theories
Police statement: At 7:00am on Wednesday, June 16, officers from Hackney Borough Police's Operation Bantam proactive firearms unit, in co-operation with Hackney's drugs squad, executed a warrant on an address in Ryder Mews, Homerton Road, E9. A search of the premises was undertaken and the following items were seized:
- 1 shotgun
- 1 revolver
- 1 self-loading pistol
- a substantial quantity of shotgun cartridges
- a small amount of cannabis
A 16-year-old youth and a 34-year-old man were arrested at the scene, both on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of cannabis. They were taken to an east London police station for further questioning.
DCI Gary Bruce, in charge of proactive operations on Hackney Borough, said: "These seizures are the result of intensive and ongoing intelligence-led police work under Operation Hassium, Hackney's response to gang crime. They demonstrate our intention to remove firearms from the streets of Hackney and officers will continue to identify, target and recover firearms to make the borough a safer place. Today's result will undoubtedly have a real impact on tackling gang and gun-enabled crime in Hackney."
Operation Bantam is a proactive firearms unit created to target gun crime within Hackney borough.
Police statement: At 7:00am on Wednesday, June 16, officers from Hackney Borough Police's Operation Bantam proactive firearms unit, in co-operation with Hackney's drugs squad, executed a warrant on an address in Ryder Mews, Homerton Road, E9. A search of the premises was undertaken and the following items were seized:
- 1 shotgun
- 1 revolver
- 1 self-loading pistol
- a substantial quantity of shotgun cartridges
- a small amount of cannabis
A 16-year-old youth and a 34-year-old man were arrested at the scene, both on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of cannabis. They were taken to an east London police station for further questioning.
DCI Gary Bruce, in charge of proactive operations on Hackney Borough, said: "These seizures are the result of intensive and ongoing intelligence-led police work under Operation Hassium, Hackney's response to gang crime. They demonstrate our intention to remove firearms from the streets of Hackney and officers will continue to identify, target and recover firearms to make the borough a safer place. Today's result will undoubtedly have a real impact on tackling gang and gun-enabled crime in Hackney."
Operation Bantam is a proactive firearms unit created to target gun crime within Hackney borough.
Friday, 11 June 2010
Shotgun and taser used in Hackney burglary
Police are looking for two men, photofits below, after a taser was used on a Hackney resident during a burglary in which a shotgun was also carried by one of the burglars. The motive for the incident is unclear.
Police Statement: "Officers in Hackney have released e-fit images of two men they would like to speak to in connection with an aggravated burglary.
Police are appealing for witnesses and information following an aggravated burglary in Fieldwick House, Retreat Place, Hackney, E9.
On Saturday 22nd May 2010 at approx 10:45hrs, two men attended the address purporting to be delivering a television in a large television box.
The female victim answered the door, the suspects then forced their way in, and at this point suspect 1 pushed an electric taser into the victim's stomach. Suspect 2 carried a shotgun in his hand.
The suspects demanded cash, leaving a few minutes later- empty handed.
Both men are described at white, 5'8" to 5'10", aged between 25 and 35. Both suspects were wearing dark clothing.
There have been no arrests and officers retain an open mind re any motive at this stage.
Anyone with information is asked to call PC Martin Collier on 020 7275 3232. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
Police Statement: "Officers in Hackney have released e-fit images of two men they would like to speak to in connection with an aggravated burglary.
Police are appealing for witnesses and information following an aggravated burglary in Fieldwick House, Retreat Place, Hackney, E9.
On Saturday 22nd May 2010 at approx 10:45hrs, two men attended the address purporting to be delivering a television in a large television box.
The female victim answered the door, the suspects then forced their way in, and at this point suspect 1 pushed an electric taser into the victim's stomach. Suspect 2 carried a shotgun in his hand.
The suspects demanded cash, leaving a few minutes later- empty handed.
Both men are described at white, 5'8" to 5'10", aged between 25 and 35. Both suspects were wearing dark clothing.
There have been no arrests and officers retain an open mind re any motive at this stage.
Anyone with information is asked to call PC Martin Collier on 020 7275 3232. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
Monday, 24 May 2010
Correction re £2 bullets and surge in blogosphere
A recent Blood and Property post called "£2 bullets and conspiracy theories: Hackney's worst enemies this summer" said "Are the police selling guns and drugs in Hackney? A significant chunk of Hackney residents appear to believe this." This has now been corrected to "a minority of Hackney residents" after it was pointed out that the original was misleading.
Also, it may not have been clear that the issues discussed were raised by the audience and were not the views of Black Parent Community Forum which runs these monthly meetings. It was pointed out that Blood and Property coverage wasn't particularly helpful - so apologies. It was an impressive and friendly event (with the head of London's armed police fielding any questions thrown at him) and I'd recommend anyone going to the next one - I don't think it's been decided yet who the guest will be.
OTHER NEWS: The role of the blogosphere in Hackney seems to be growing as websites provide a platform for unprecedented numbers of comments in the wake of the London Fields shooting.
Criticism of Mayor Pipe's immediate comments (Hackney Citizen) and Hackney Hive appears to have led to him making some new ones.
Middle class guilt/angst debate(Hackney Citizen) and here for criticism of middle class angst debate (uncarved.org).
The Hackney Gazette also has a statement from Hackney's borough commander on the event.
Also, it may not have been clear that the issues discussed were raised by the audience and were not the views of Black Parent Community Forum which runs these monthly meetings. It was pointed out that Blood and Property coverage wasn't particularly helpful - so apologies. It was an impressive and friendly event (with the head of London's armed police fielding any questions thrown at him) and I'd recommend anyone going to the next one - I don't think it's been decided yet who the guest will be.
OTHER NEWS: The role of the blogosphere in Hackney seems to be growing as websites provide a platform for unprecedented numbers of comments in the wake of the London Fields shooting.
Criticism of Mayor Pipe's immediate comments (Hackney Citizen) and Hackney Hive appears to have led to him making some new ones.
Middle class guilt/angst debate(Hackney Citizen) and here for criticism of middle class angst debate (uncarved.org).
The Hackney Gazette also has a statement from Hackney's borough commander on the event.
Saturday, 22 May 2010
£2 bullets and conspiracy theories: Hackney's worst enemies this summer?
Below are some of the issues discussed at a meeting between Hackney residents and Chief Superintendent Bill Tillbrook - head of London's armed police CO19 - organised by Black Parent Community Forum.
The meeting was held between 2-4pm on Saturday 22 May at the Adeline Centre on Belsham Street and was punctuated, at about 3.3opm, by the departure of the Hackney Gazette's chief reporter to cover the shooting on London Fields.
The aim of the meeting was for the CO19 chief to tell Hackney residents what his unit does. Tillbrook said that the 700-strong unit's most impressive statistic is rarely mentioned: that it is called out between 12-13,000 times per year but the average number of times that any weapon is fired is just 2 per year. But a number of more general issues were also discussed:
CHEAP BULLETS:
Has the shortage of bullets - seen as a major curb on gun violence in Hackney - come to an end? Homemade bullets are not uncommon due to the shortage. On April 22 Hackney Borough commander, Steve Bending told the Gazette: "Most firearms are converted, blank-firing guns and most of the ammunition is home made... they are inaccurate weapons with poor ammunition."
Rev Joyce Daley, the meeting organiser, said she had heard that bullets may now be for sale in Hackney for £2 each. (Telegraph piece: “There would be a lot more murders,” says Professor John Pitts, who has studied the phenomenon extensively, “were it not for one factor: the difficulty in obtaining bullets.”)
CONSPIRACY THEORIES:
Are the police selling guns and drugs in Hackney? A minority of Hackney residents appear to believe this. So powerful is this belief that Hackney police has apparently agreed to publicly display 2.5 tonnes of recovered and destroyed weapons.
During the meeting Chief Superintendent Bill Tillbrook pointed out that police corruption had been one of the main areas of concern at a meeting in November - the last time he took part in a Black Parents Forum meeting. He said that some people believed the police had killed people but that these incidents were never reported: "This tells me what a huge gap there is between what's going on and what people believe is going on. For someone in London, in 2010, to think we can shoot someone in the street and it wouldn't get reported... there's an information gap."
Other items discussed during and after the meeting:
Information and educational material about the dangers of gun crime need to be aimed much more at primary schools.
Kids being stopped several times a day on some estates need to be made aware that this will not be the result of random borough-wide powers but will be due to a specific incident or piece of intelligence about the area that they live in (Section 60) (These have been issued almost every week for several months in Hackney.)
The culture of silence surrounding these crimes may be related to what goes on in prison as well as what happens on the streets of Hackney.
The media needs to be more accountable for glorifying gun culture.
Chickenshed theatre group's "Crime of the Century" will be showing at St John's Church, Lower Clapton Road on Saturday June 5, 5pm-7pm, dedicated to Shaquille Smith who was stabbed to death in London Fields in August 2008. For tickets, 020 8292 9222
The meeting was held between 2-4pm on Saturday 22 May at the Adeline Centre on Belsham Street and was punctuated, at about 3.3opm, by the departure of the Hackney Gazette's chief reporter to cover the shooting on London Fields.
The aim of the meeting was for the CO19 chief to tell Hackney residents what his unit does. Tillbrook said that the 700-strong unit's most impressive statistic is rarely mentioned: that it is called out between 12-13,000 times per year but the average number of times that any weapon is fired is just 2 per year. But a number of more general issues were also discussed:
CHEAP BULLETS:
Has the shortage of bullets - seen as a major curb on gun violence in Hackney - come to an end? Homemade bullets are not uncommon due to the shortage. On April 22 Hackney Borough commander, Steve Bending told the Gazette: "Most firearms are converted, blank-firing guns and most of the ammunition is home made... they are inaccurate weapons with poor ammunition."
Rev Joyce Daley, the meeting organiser, said she had heard that bullets may now be for sale in Hackney for £2 each. (Telegraph piece: “There would be a lot more murders,” says Professor John Pitts, who has studied the phenomenon extensively, “were it not for one factor: the difficulty in obtaining bullets.”)
CONSPIRACY THEORIES:
Are the police selling guns and drugs in Hackney? A minority of Hackney residents appear to believe this. So powerful is this belief that Hackney police has apparently agreed to publicly display 2.5 tonnes of recovered and destroyed weapons.
During the meeting Chief Superintendent Bill Tillbrook pointed out that police corruption had been one of the main areas of concern at a meeting in November - the last time he took part in a Black Parents Forum meeting. He said that some people believed the police had killed people but that these incidents were never reported: "This tells me what a huge gap there is between what's going on and what people believe is going on. For someone in London, in 2010, to think we can shoot someone in the street and it wouldn't get reported... there's an information gap."
Other items discussed during and after the meeting:
Information and educational material about the dangers of gun crime need to be aimed much more at primary schools.
Kids being stopped several times a day on some estates need to be made aware that this will not be the result of random borough-wide powers but will be due to a specific incident or piece of intelligence about the area that they live in (Section 60) (These have been issued almost every week for several months in Hackney.)
The culture of silence surrounding these crimes may be related to what goes on in prison as well as what happens on the streets of Hackney.
The media needs to be more accountable for glorifying gun culture.
Chickenshed theatre group's "Crime of the Century" will be showing at St John's Church, Lower Clapton Road on Saturday June 5, 5pm-7pm, dedicated to Shaquille Smith who was stabbed to death in London Fields in August 2008. For tickets, 020 8292 9222
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Hackney is second biggest customer of Operation Trident
Below is a list of London Boroughs and a breakdown of the number of crimes committed that are being dealt with by Trident. The figures were provided following a Freedom of Information Act request by Blood and Property.
Hackney has had 110 cases investigated by Trident over the last four years. This is far from all the gun crime committed in Hackney over this period.
Gun crime stats for Hackney from Met Police show that, in 2009 there were 160 "gun enabled" crimes of which 32 were investigated by Trident. In 2008 there were 123 gun enabled crimes reported in Hackney, 20 of them were investigated by Trident.
The Metropolitan Police response to the FOI request said: "Trident investigates all non-fatal shootings within London irrespective of the ethnicity of the victim or suspect.
"Trident also investigates fatal shootings occurring solely within the black community.
Waltham Forest and Croydon have both launched campaigns to increase their police forces and both mention Hackney as a borough with more than its fair share police officers. In 2008-9 Trident had a £28m budget and it now employs 359 police officers. Over the last four years Hackney has seen 110 cases, 10% of Trident's case load, being investigated.
Also, last month (Feb) Diane Abbott answered Blood and Property questions including: "5. Although crime in Hackney has fallen, other boroughs complain that Hackney has more policemen. On top of that, Hackney seems to be able to rely on outside agencies like Operation Trident. Do you know how much support Hackney's police get in fighting crime and whether this might no longer be available either if the Conservatives win or if the government has to cut police budgets?"
She said: "Crime has fallen in Hackney and I am pleased to say it is at the lowest level for 10 years. This is down to the hard work of our police force and agencies like Operation Trident and if Hackney has needed more police or funding to do this, I can only say that it has truly been worth it and the results speak for themselves. However, we musn't forget that gun crime has increased in the borough. A spate of killings in the Turkish/Kurdish community has gone someway to pushing these figures up and this is something I will be tackling alongside the police and the council. We can already see that a Conservative government would cut expenditure on fighting crime and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson is already proposing to cut 450 police officers by the end of his term."
(Apologies for the lack of a chart - if anyone has an easy way to put charts in blogger please let me know - even spaces were removed on publication! Very annoying.)
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Lambeth 32 39 31 49 151
Hackney 37 27 20 32 116
Southwark 37 22 24 27 110
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Brent 18 26 12 15 71
Waltham Forest 21 34 13 24 92
Haringey 15 13 10 18 56
Lewisham 10 14 8 29 61
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Newham 7 16 20 11 54
Wandsworth 13 6 8 23 50
Croydon 5 4 12 19 40
Ealing 5 13 13 16 47
Islington 11 9 6 15 41
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Enfield 6 13 7 11 37
Westminster 4 6 5 5 20
Hammersmith & Fulham 5 5 5 5 20
Greenwich 5 7 3 11 26
Tower Hamlets 4 3 3 1 11
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Camden 4 2 4 8 18
Kensington & Chelsea 6 2 2 3 13
Merton 1 4 4 6 15
Redbridge 0 3 3 6 12
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Barking & Dagenham 2 4 5 7 18
Barnet 5 2 3 5 15
Hillingdon 2 1 2 1 6
Bexley 3 4 3 1 11
Bromley 2 2 1 4 9
Harrow 2 1 1 3 7
Hounslow 1 0 0 0 1
Havering 2 4 2 0 8
Sutton 2 2 2 1 7
Kingston 1 0 1 0 2
Richmond 0 0 0 0 0
Hackney has had 110 cases investigated by Trident over the last four years. This is far from all the gun crime committed in Hackney over this period.
Gun crime stats for Hackney from Met Police show that, in 2009 there were 160 "gun enabled" crimes of which 32 were investigated by Trident. In 2008 there were 123 gun enabled crimes reported in Hackney, 20 of them were investigated by Trident.
The Metropolitan Police response to the FOI request said: "Trident investigates all non-fatal shootings within London irrespective of the ethnicity of the victim or suspect.
"Trident also investigates fatal shootings occurring solely within the black community.
Waltham Forest and Croydon have both launched campaigns to increase their police forces and both mention Hackney as a borough with more than its fair share police officers. In 2008-9 Trident had a £28m budget and it now employs 359 police officers. Over the last four years Hackney has seen 110 cases, 10% of Trident's case load, being investigated.
Also, last month (Feb) Diane Abbott answered Blood and Property questions including: "5. Although crime in Hackney has fallen, other boroughs complain that Hackney has more policemen. On top of that, Hackney seems to be able to rely on outside agencies like Operation Trident. Do you know how much support Hackney's police get in fighting crime and whether this might no longer be available either if the Conservatives win or if the government has to cut police budgets?"
She said: "Crime has fallen in Hackney and I am pleased to say it is at the lowest level for 10 years. This is down to the hard work of our police force and agencies like Operation Trident and if Hackney has needed more police or funding to do this, I can only say that it has truly been worth it and the results speak for themselves. However, we musn't forget that gun crime has increased in the borough. A spate of killings in the Turkish/Kurdish community has gone someway to pushing these figures up and this is something I will be tackling alongside the police and the council. We can already see that a Conservative government would cut expenditure on fighting crime and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson is already proposing to cut 450 police officers by the end of his term."
(Apologies for the lack of a chart - if anyone has an easy way to put charts in blogger please let me know - even spaces were removed on publication! Very annoying.)
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Lambeth 32 39 31 49 151
Hackney 37 27 20 32 116
Southwark 37 22 24 27 110
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Brent 18 26 12 15 71
Waltham Forest 21 34 13 24 92
Haringey 15 13 10 18 56
Lewisham 10 14 8 29 61
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Newham 7 16 20 11 54
Wandsworth 13 6 8 23 50
Croydon 5 4 12 19 40
Ealing 5 13 13 16 47
Islington 11 9 6 15 41
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Enfield 6 13 7 11 37
Westminster 4 6 5 5 20
Hammersmith & Fulham 5 5 5 5 20
Greenwich 5 7 3 11 26
Tower Hamlets 4 3 3 1 11
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Camden 4 2 4 8 18
Kensington & Chelsea 6 2 2 3 13
Merton 1 4 4 6 15
Redbridge 0 3 3 6 12
Borough 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total
Barking & Dagenham 2 4 5 7 18
Barnet 5 2 3 5 15
Hillingdon 2 1 2 1 6
Bexley 3 4 3 1 11
Bromley 2 2 1 4 9
Harrow 2 1 1 3 7
Hounslow 1 0 0 0 1
Havering 2 4 2 0 8
Sutton 2 2 2 1 7
Kingston 1 0 1 0 2
Richmond 0 0 0 0 0
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Hackney has too many cops say Croydon and Waltham Forest
Some boroughs are citing Hackney as the most generously policed borough as they lobby Boris Johnson for more officers. A campaign is underway in Waltham Forest (this link is a bit odd), this piece from Yellow Advertiser ends: "For example Hackney has virtually the same amount of serious crime, but 195 police officers more than Waltham Forest."
A similar campaign has been running for longer in Croydon: "The Cops for Croydon campaign has cross party support from Croydon’s councillors and now residents, local businesses and commuters are being urged to add their weight to the scheme.
What happens to Hackney if Trident funding is cut and should Hackney politicians and residents be preparing a campaign to maintain the current level of policing?
A similar campaign has been running for longer in Croydon: "The Cops for Croydon campaign has cross party support from Croydon’s councillors and now residents, local businesses and commuters are being urged to add their weight to the scheme.
The piece in the Croydon Guardian specifically mentions Hackney as a place that has more than its fair share of police officers: "Councillor Gavin Barwell, cabinet member for safety and cohesion, said: “There is clear evidence that, relative to other boroughs, the number of full-time police officers in Croydon does not adequately reflect the number of offences. Newham, Hackney and Tower Hamlets have all been allocated more full-time police officers than Croydon, yet because they are much smaller than Croydon, they have to deal with fewer offences.”
Trident figures - insult to injury?
In January Blood and Property made a request under the freedom of information act to find out how much Hackney relies on Operation Trident to fight its crime. Answers to those questions arrived last week and will post them in full on Monday.
The met police provided borough by borough figures for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Over this period Hackney was the London borough with the second highest number of cases being investigated by Operation Trident officers - 110 over the four year period.
This compared to 92 in Waltham Forest (the fifth most prolific area for Trident investigations) and 40 in Croydon (12th highest number of Trident investigations).
What happens to Hackney if Trident funding is cut and should Hackney politicians and residents be preparing a campaign to maintain the current level of policing?
The met response to the FOI request (excluding 2006-9 figures) said: "Trident investigates all non-fatal shootings within London irrespective of the ethnicity of the victim or suspect.
"Trident also investigates fatal shootings occurring solely within the black community.
"Trident's Community Engagement Team works closely with communities within the Trident hotspot boroughs to tackle gun-enabled crime. The unit provides an opportunity for the police and the community to work together in preventing, detecting and combating gun related criminality."
Full FOI response on Trident questions
Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 2010010005130
I respond in connection with your request for information dated 27/01/2010 which was received by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 27/01/2010. I note you seek access to the following information:
1. How many cases are investigated by operation trident each year in London? Would it be possible to get this for three or four years?
2 Could i get a break down of which areas (london boroughs)these cases come from - in other words how many cases per borough in each year?
3. If this is a problem, would it be possible to find out how many crimes operation trident is investigating in Hackney?
4. What is the budget for operation trident?
5. How many police officers does it employ?
Following receipt of your request searches were conducted within the MPS to locate information relevant to your request.
EXTENT OF SEARCHES TO LOCATE INFORMATION
To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within the Specialist Crime Directorate (SCD8) - Trident Operational Command Unit.
Trident investigates all non-fatal shootings within London irrespective of the ethnicity of the victim or suspect.
Trident also investigates fatal shootings occurring solely within the black community.
Trident's proactive operations continue to generate significant arrests and gun seizures.
As a result of these operations, Trident officers have recovered 89 illegal firearms and disrupted 101 criminal networks so far this financial year (2009/10).
Trident's Community Engagement Team works closely with communities within the Trident hotspot boroughs to tackle gun-enabled crime.
The unit provides an opportunity for the police and the community to work together in preventing, detecting and combating gun related criminality.
RESULT OF SEARCHES
The searches located information relevant to your request.
DECISION
It has been decided to:
disclose answers to questions numbered 1, 2, 4 & 5 in full;
fully exempt question number 3 pursuant to the provisions of section 30 of the Act.
At question 1 you asked:
How many cases are investigated by operation trident each year in London? Would it be possible to get this for three or four years?
The MPS response is:
In 2006 the MPS recorded 268 Trident incidents.
In 2007 the MPS recorded 288 Trident incidents.
In 2008 the MPS recorded 233 Trident incidents.
In 2009 the MPS recorded 348 Trident incidents.
At question 2 you asked:
Could i get a break down of which areas (london boroughs)these cases come from - in other words how many cases per borough in each year?
The MPS response is:
Please see attached document at the end of this email. (Blood and Property: I am attempting to put a chart in blogger but it's not as straight forward as I was hoping but these figures should be up on the site by Monday.)
At question 3 you asked:
how many crimes operation trident is investigating in Hackney?
The MPS response is:
Releasing the number of ongoing Trident investigations in Hackney would provide knowledge of the level of MPS activity in that area.
Please see below for full details and the Harm/Public Interest Test.
At question 4 you asked:
What is the budget for operation trident?
The MPS response is:
The budget for Trident (2008-2009) is £27,548,944.
At question 5 you asked:
How many police officers does it employ?
The MPS response is:
Trident currently have 359 officers in post.
how many crimes operation trident is investigating in Hackney?
The MPS response is:
Having located and considered the relevant information, I am afraid that I am not required by statute to release the information requested. This letter serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).
Before I explain the reasons for the decisions I have made in relation to your request, I thought that it would be helpful if I outline the parameters set out by the Act within which a request for information can be answered.
The Act creates a statutory right of access to information held by public authorities. A public authority in receipt of a request must, if permitted, confirm if the requested information is held by that public authority and, if so, then communicate that information to the applicant.
The right of access to information is not without exception and is subject to a number of exemptions, which are designed to enable public authorities to withhold information that is not suitable for release. Importantly, the Act is designed to place information into the public domain, that is, once access to information is granted to one person under the Act, it is then considered public information and must be communicated to any individual should a request be received.
I have considered your request for information within the provisions set out by the Act. Where I have been unable to provide the requested information to you, I have explained my decision in accordance with Section 17 of the Act.
REASONS FOR DECISION
Section 17 of the Act provides:
(1) A public authority which, in relation to any request for information, is to any extent relying on a claim that any provision in part II relating to the duty to confirm or deny is relevant to the request or on a claim that information is exempt information must, within the time for complying with section 1(1), give the applicant a notice which-
(a) states the fact,
(b) specifies the exemption in question, and
(c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.
I must inform you that details of any ongoing investigations by Trident in Hackney (question 3), has been fully exempted pursuant to the provisions of Sections 30(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a) of the Act.
Section 30 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a) of the Act provides: Investigations
Investigations and proceedings conducted by public authorities (1) Information held by a public authority is exempt information if it has at any time been held by the authority for the purposes of-
(a) any investigation which the public authority has a duty to conduct with a view to it being ascertained-
(i) whether a person should be charged with an offence, or
(ii) whether a person charged with an offence is guilty of it,
(b) any investigation which is conducted by the authority and in the circumstances may lead to a decision by the authority to institute criminal proceedings which the authority has power to conduct.
(c) any criminal proceedings which the authority has power to conduct.
(2) Information held by a public authority is exempt information if-
(a) it was obtained or recorded by the authority for the purposes of its functions relating to-
(i) investigations falling within subsection (1)(a) or (b),
(ii) criminal proceedings which the authority has power to conduct,
(iii) investigations (other than investigations falling within subsection (1)(a) or (b)) which are conducted by the authority for any of the purposes specified in section 31(2) and either by virtue of Her Majesty's prerogative or by virtue of powers conferred by or under any enactment, or
(iv) civil proceedings which are brought by or on behalf of the authority and arise out of such investigations.
Evidence of Harm
In considering whether or not this information should be disclosed, I have considered the potential harm that could be caused by disclosure.
Under the Act, we cannot, and do not request the motives of any applicant for information. We have no doubt the vast majority of applications under the Act are legitimate and do not have any ulterior motives, however, in disclosing information to one applicant we are expressing a willingness to provide it to anyone in the world. This means that a disclosure to a genuinely interested and concerned applicant automatically opens it up for a similar disclosure, including those who could use the information to gain an advantage over the MPS in current or future investigations, through the understanding of its investigative processes or taskings.
Investigations involving firearms are highly emotive and the manner in which they are conducted are usually kept in strict secrecy so that the tactics and lines of enquiry that are followed do not become public knowledge thereby rendering them useless.
The MPS does not generally disclose information regarding ongoing investigations except through our Directorate of Public Affairs to the media. This is so potential witnesses are not discouraged to come forward and provide statements in relation to current/unresolved investigations.
Information of this nature needs to be treated with extreme sensitivity, as it could have a detrimental effect on an open investigation and the operational effectiveness of the MPS and it's ability to fulfil its core function of law enforcement.
It also has the potential to endanger the health and safety of specific individuals.
Under Section 30 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a) of the Act, Public Authorities are able to withhold information relating to investigations where its release would, or would be likely to, have an adverse effect upon investigations and the prosecution of offenders. This exemption can be applied following completion of a Public Interest Test (PIT).
The purpose of the PIT is to establish whether the 'Public Interest' lies in disclosing or withholding the requested information.
Public Interest Test
The public interest is not what interests the public, but what will be of greater good if released to the community as a whole. It is not in the public interest to disclose information that may compromise the service's ability to fulfil its core function of law enforcement or jeopardize any possible future criminal investigation.
Public interest considerations favouring disclosure
Accountability
Disclosure of this information would enlighten members of the public as to the action taken by the MPS in these type of incidents. This may go some way to promoting awareness and accountability, where expenditure of public funds is concerned and would reinforce the MPS's commitment to openness and transparency.
Public Debate
Release of this information would assist in any public debate on the MPS's action in these investigations.
The release of this information would demonstrate the willingness of the MPS to be open and transparent with the public showing what procedures and investigations are carried out.
Accountability for Public Funds
Where public funds are being spent, there is a significant public interest in making information available that would demonstrate the way in which resources are allocated. In this case, release of the requested information would demonstrate the way in which the MPS allocates resources in investigating these incidents.
Public interest considerations favouring non-disclosure
Investigations
Information relating to ongoing investigations will rarely be disclosed under the Act and only where there is a strong public interest consideration favouring disclosure.
It is the Association of Chief Police Officers approach that such information will rarely be disclosed.
Whilst such information may be released in order to service a 'core policing purpose' - to prevent or detect crime, or to protect life and property - it would only be disclosed following a Freedom of Information request if there are strong public interest considerations favouring disclosure.
Release of this information may adversely affect public safety if the criminal fraternity/less law abiding individuals are provided with a tactical advantage over the MPS. It would allow individuals to avoid specific locations during any ongoing MPS operations and target other locations for potential victims.
This information that relates to current investigations by the MPS which facilitates the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension or prosecution of offenders and the administration of justice and could endanger the safety of individuals if it were to be released.
Confidence in the Police Service
The disclosure of some of this information to the public by the MPS would undermine individuals' confidence in helping the MPS, and would furthermore impact on the trust of witnesses in making statements in the future.
Balancing Test
On balance if disclosed, the release of this material - under the Act - which relates to ongoing investigations, cannot be justified. The public's interest would not be served in releasing this specific type of information if it could compromise these or any future policing investigation.
After weighing up the competing interests I have determined that the disclosure of the above information would not be in the public interest.
I consider that the benefit that would result from the information being disclosed does not outweigh disclosing this information.
Please find attached a breakdown of recorded Trident incidents by London Borough 2006-2009. ((Blood and Property: I am attempting to put a chart in blogger but it's not as straight forward as I was hoping but these figures should be up on the site by Monday.)
I respond in connection with your request for information dated 27/01/2010 which was received by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on 27/01/2010. I note you seek access to the following information:
1. How many cases are investigated by operation trident each year in London? Would it be possible to get this for three or four years?
2 Could i get a break down of which areas (london boroughs)these cases come from - in other words how many cases per borough in each year?
3. If this is a problem, would it be possible to find out how many crimes operation trident is investigating in Hackney?
4. What is the budget for operation trident?
5. How many police officers does it employ?
Following receipt of your request searches were conducted within the MPS to locate information relevant to your request.
EXTENT OF SEARCHES TO LOCATE INFORMATION
To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within the Specialist Crime Directorate (SCD8) - Trident Operational Command Unit.
Trident investigates all non-fatal shootings within London irrespective of the ethnicity of the victim or suspect.
Trident also investigates fatal shootings occurring solely within the black community.
Trident's proactive operations continue to generate significant arrests and gun seizures.
As a result of these operations, Trident officers have recovered 89 illegal firearms and disrupted 101 criminal networks so far this financial year (2009/10).
Trident's Community Engagement Team works closely with communities within the Trident hotspot boroughs to tackle gun-enabled crime.
The unit provides an opportunity for the police and the community to work together in preventing, detecting and combating gun related criminality.
RESULT OF SEARCHES
The searches located information relevant to your request.
DECISION
It has been decided to:
disclose answers to questions numbered 1, 2, 4 & 5 in full;
fully exempt question number 3 pursuant to the provisions of section 30 of the Act.
At question 1 you asked:
How many cases are investigated by operation trident each year in London? Would it be possible to get this for three or four years?
The MPS response is:
In 2006 the MPS recorded 268 Trident incidents.
In 2007 the MPS recorded 288 Trident incidents.
In 2008 the MPS recorded 233 Trident incidents.
In 2009 the MPS recorded 348 Trident incidents.
At question 2 you asked:
Could i get a break down of which areas (london boroughs)these cases come from - in other words how many cases per borough in each year?
The MPS response is:
Please see attached document at the end of this email. (Blood and Property: I am attempting to put a chart in blogger but it's not as straight forward as I was hoping but these figures should be up on the site by Monday.)
At question 3 you asked:
how many crimes operation trident is investigating in Hackney?
The MPS response is:
Releasing the number of ongoing Trident investigations in Hackney would provide knowledge of the level of MPS activity in that area.
Please see below for full details and the Harm/Public Interest Test.
At question 4 you asked:
What is the budget for operation trident?
The MPS response is:
The budget for Trident (2008-2009) is £27,548,944.
At question 5 you asked:
How many police officers does it employ?
The MPS response is:
Trident currently have 359 officers in post.
how many crimes operation trident is investigating in Hackney?
The MPS response is:
Having located and considered the relevant information, I am afraid that I am not required by statute to release the information requested. This letter serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).
Before I explain the reasons for the decisions I have made in relation to your request, I thought that it would be helpful if I outline the parameters set out by the Act within which a request for information can be answered.
The Act creates a statutory right of access to information held by public authorities. A public authority in receipt of a request must, if permitted, confirm if the requested information is held by that public authority and, if so, then communicate that information to the applicant.
The right of access to information is not without exception and is subject to a number of exemptions, which are designed to enable public authorities to withhold information that is not suitable for release. Importantly, the Act is designed to place information into the public domain, that is, once access to information is granted to one person under the Act, it is then considered public information and must be communicated to any individual should a request be received.
I have considered your request for information within the provisions set out by the Act. Where I have been unable to provide the requested information to you, I have explained my decision in accordance with Section 17 of the Act.
REASONS FOR DECISION
Section 17 of the Act provides:
(1) A public authority which, in relation to any request for information, is to any extent relying on a claim that any provision in part II relating to the duty to confirm or deny is relevant to the request or on a claim that information is exempt information must, within the time for complying with section 1(1), give the applicant a notice which-
(a) states the fact,
(b) specifies the exemption in question, and
(c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.
I must inform you that details of any ongoing investigations by Trident in Hackney (question 3), has been fully exempted pursuant to the provisions of Sections 30(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a) of the Act.
Section 30 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a) of the Act provides: Investigations
Investigations and proceedings conducted by public authorities (1) Information held by a public authority is exempt information if it has at any time been held by the authority for the purposes of-
(a) any investigation which the public authority has a duty to conduct with a view to it being ascertained-
(i) whether a person should be charged with an offence, or
(ii) whether a person charged with an offence is guilty of it,
(b) any investigation which is conducted by the authority and in the circumstances may lead to a decision by the authority to institute criminal proceedings which the authority has power to conduct.
(c) any criminal proceedings which the authority has power to conduct.
(2) Information held by a public authority is exempt information if-
(a) it was obtained or recorded by the authority for the purposes of its functions relating to-
(i) investigations falling within subsection (1)(a) or (b),
(ii) criminal proceedings which the authority has power to conduct,
(iii) investigations (other than investigations falling within subsection (1)(a) or (b)) which are conducted by the authority for any of the purposes specified in section 31(2) and either by virtue of Her Majesty's prerogative or by virtue of powers conferred by or under any enactment, or
(iv) civil proceedings which are brought by or on behalf of the authority and arise out of such investigations.
Evidence of Harm
In considering whether or not this information should be disclosed, I have considered the potential harm that could be caused by disclosure.
Under the Act, we cannot, and do not request the motives of any applicant for information. We have no doubt the vast majority of applications under the Act are legitimate and do not have any ulterior motives, however, in disclosing information to one applicant we are expressing a willingness to provide it to anyone in the world. This means that a disclosure to a genuinely interested and concerned applicant automatically opens it up for a similar disclosure, including those who could use the information to gain an advantage over the MPS in current or future investigations, through the understanding of its investigative processes or taskings.
Investigations involving firearms are highly emotive and the manner in which they are conducted are usually kept in strict secrecy so that the tactics and lines of enquiry that are followed do not become public knowledge thereby rendering them useless.
The MPS does not generally disclose information regarding ongoing investigations except through our Directorate of Public Affairs to the media. This is so potential witnesses are not discouraged to come forward and provide statements in relation to current/unresolved investigations.
Information of this nature needs to be treated with extreme sensitivity, as it could have a detrimental effect on an open investigation and the operational effectiveness of the MPS and it's ability to fulfil its core function of law enforcement.
It also has the potential to endanger the health and safety of specific individuals.
Under Section 30 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a) of the Act, Public Authorities are able to withhold information relating to investigations where its release would, or would be likely to, have an adverse effect upon investigations and the prosecution of offenders. This exemption can be applied following completion of a Public Interest Test (PIT).
The purpose of the PIT is to establish whether the 'Public Interest' lies in disclosing or withholding the requested information.
Public Interest Test
The public interest is not what interests the public, but what will be of greater good if released to the community as a whole. It is not in the public interest to disclose information that may compromise the service's ability to fulfil its core function of law enforcement or jeopardize any possible future criminal investigation.
Public interest considerations favouring disclosure
Accountability
Disclosure of this information would enlighten members of the public as to the action taken by the MPS in these type of incidents. This may go some way to promoting awareness and accountability, where expenditure of public funds is concerned and would reinforce the MPS's commitment to openness and transparency.
Public Debate
Release of this information would assist in any public debate on the MPS's action in these investigations.
The release of this information would demonstrate the willingness of the MPS to be open and transparent with the public showing what procedures and investigations are carried out.
Accountability for Public Funds
Where public funds are being spent, there is a significant public interest in making information available that would demonstrate the way in which resources are allocated. In this case, release of the requested information would demonstrate the way in which the MPS allocates resources in investigating these incidents.
Public interest considerations favouring non-disclosure
Investigations
Information relating to ongoing investigations will rarely be disclosed under the Act and only where there is a strong public interest consideration favouring disclosure.
It is the Association of Chief Police Officers approach that such information will rarely be disclosed.
Whilst such information may be released in order to service a 'core policing purpose' - to prevent or detect crime, or to protect life and property - it would only be disclosed following a Freedom of Information request if there are strong public interest considerations favouring disclosure.
Release of this information may adversely affect public safety if the criminal fraternity/less law abiding individuals are provided with a tactical advantage over the MPS. It would allow individuals to avoid specific locations during any ongoing MPS operations and target other locations for potential victims.
This information that relates to current investigations by the MPS which facilitates the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension or prosecution of offenders and the administration of justice and could endanger the safety of individuals if it were to be released.
Confidence in the Police Service
The disclosure of some of this information to the public by the MPS would undermine individuals' confidence in helping the MPS, and would furthermore impact on the trust of witnesses in making statements in the future.
Balancing Test
On balance if disclosed, the release of this material - under the Act - which relates to ongoing investigations, cannot be justified. The public's interest would not be served in releasing this specific type of information if it could compromise these or any future policing investigation.
After weighing up the competing interests I have determined that the disclosure of the above information would not be in the public interest.
I consider that the benefit that would result from the information being disclosed does not outweigh disclosing this information.
Please find attached a breakdown of recorded Trident incidents by London Borough 2006-2009. ((Blood and Property: I am attempting to put a chart in blogger but it's not as straight forward as I was hoping but these figures should be up on the site by Monday.)
Is it healthy to ignore a drive-by shooting?
It looks like this drive-by shooting on Chatsworth Road was never going to be reported.
The police statement claims Trident detectives were appealing for information and witnesses about the crime but the crime had taken place over a week before there was any publicity.
My life could have gone on quite happily without knowing that this event had ever occurred. I live a block away from that takeaway and walk past it most days. I didn't notice the bullet holes until a friend - who was told about it by the dentist opposite - told me about it.
So what's my point? Just that there are likely to be lots of people around Chatsworth road who did know that this crime had taken place or may even have been affected by it. And whoever these people were, they might have been reassured if they had known that arrests had been made.
And that may well be the reason police did not publicise this shooting - precisely because arrests had been made. This means that there will be reporting restrictions in place to protect the rights of the suspects until a trial is held.
But this would not have prevented a statement being made - as it eventually was - explaining what had happened and what was being done about it.
At least I hope that is the reason why the police didn't high light this crime and automatically provide information about it to local papers like the Hackney Gazette.
Hopefully is wasn't the result of pressure to 'handle' crime publicity more positively in order to close "the reassuance gap" - (Apparently politicians and senior policemen are not happy at how slow the public are to cotton on to cuts in crime figures - as discussed here: Can Pipe push the police?)
An even worse excuse would be that these drive-by shootings are so common that we should all be used to them by now.
The police statement claims Trident detectives were appealing for information and witnesses about the crime but the crime had taken place over a week before there was any publicity.
My life could have gone on quite happily without knowing that this event had ever occurred. I live a block away from that takeaway and walk past it most days. I didn't notice the bullet holes until a friend - who was told about it by the dentist opposite - told me about it.
So what's my point? Just that there are likely to be lots of people around Chatsworth road who did know that this crime had taken place or may even have been affected by it. And whoever these people were, they might have been reassured if they had known that arrests had been made.
And that may well be the reason police did not publicise this shooting - precisely because arrests had been made. This means that there will be reporting restrictions in place to protect the rights of the suspects until a trial is held.
But this would not have prevented a statement being made - as it eventually was - explaining what had happened and what was being done about it.
At least I hope that is the reason why the police didn't high light this crime and automatically provide information about it to local papers like the Hackney Gazette.
Hopefully is wasn't the result of pressure to 'handle' crime publicity more positively in order to close "the reassuance gap" - (Apparently politicians and senior policemen are not happy at how slow the public are to cotton on to cuts in crime figures - as discussed here: Can Pipe push the police?)
An even worse excuse would be that these drive-by shootings are so common that we should all be used to them by now.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Drive-by shooting on Chatsworth Road
A police spokesperson told Blood and Property: "Trident detectives are appealing for information and witnesses following a shooting in Hackney.
"Police were called at approx 21.25hrs on Wednesday 17 February 2010 to Chatsworth Rd, E5 to reports of shots fired.
"Officers attended the scene - a Chinese takeaway - to discover shots had been fired at the location, causing damage to the outside and inside of the premises.
"It is understood a black car drove past the scene and one of the occupants fired shots toward a group of youths standing inside the shop.
There were no reports of any injuries. We retain an open mind re any motive at this time.
On the night of the incident three men - [A] 21 yrs; [B] 22 yrs; [C] 23 yrs - were arrested in connection with the investigation. They were taken to east London police stations and later bailed to return pending further inquiries. Next due on 11 March 2010.
Officers have yet to identify the youths inside the shop and as such are appealing for them to contact police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Trident North East Shootings Team on 020 8217 7366. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
"Police were called at approx 21.25hrs on Wednesday 17 February 2010 to Chatsworth Rd, E5 to reports of shots fired.
"Officers attended the scene - a Chinese takeaway - to discover shots had been fired at the location, causing damage to the outside and inside of the premises.
"It is understood a black car drove past the scene and one of the occupants fired shots toward a group of youths standing inside the shop.
There were no reports of any injuries. We retain an open mind re any motive at this time.
On the night of the incident three men - [A] 21 yrs; [B] 22 yrs; [C] 23 yrs - were arrested in connection with the investigation. They were taken to east London police stations and later bailed to return pending further inquiries. Next due on 11 March 2010.
Officers have yet to identify the youths inside the shop and as such are appealing for them to contact police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Trident North East Shootings Team on 020 8217 7366. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Chatsworth Road shooting
Four bullet holes in the windows of a Chatsworth Road Chinese takeaway.
I only live around the corner and I don't know when this happened. A friend was told by one of the shopkeepers opposite that the shots were fired by someone outside the takeaway at people ordering food. I can't see how no one got hurt.
Couldn't find any details elsewhere. Hopefully more details tomorrow - may be something in the Hackney Gazette.
I only live around the corner and I don't know when this happened. A friend was told by one of the shopkeepers opposite that the shots were fired by someone outside the takeaway at people ordering food. I can't see how no one got hurt.
Couldn't find any details elsewhere. Hopefully more details tomorrow - may be something in the Hackney Gazette.
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Turkish gang war in Hackney?
(UPDATE: Turkish crime/Turkish politics)
Update from Islington Gazette
She says she got the background from cab and bus drivers: "Word on the street is that this killing is in retaliation for last Saturdays killing of a 23 year old Turkish man, Oktay Erbasli, whom police believe was also in retaliation for another killing. The two drug gangs involved are the Tottenham Boys gang, whom Erbasli was a member of and a rival gang called Bombacilar."
The only other mention of the incident I could find was: Gang war fear after second shooting
from Press Association: "A 21-year-old Turkish man was gunned down near a cafe in Hackney, east London, shortly before 11pm on Monday. Paramedics raced to Ickburgh Road, a short distance from Clapton railway station, but were unable to save his life. Two men in their 20s were arrested at the scene and were being questioned by murder squad detectives."
The Sun covered the Tottenham shooting
Is this a rerun of: Turkish gangs spark brutal heroin war?
One of the gangs mentioned by Raggy Dee Ann- bombacilar - was the subject of this piece Turkish gang problem? written back in April.
Turkish gang problem in Hackney: According to the Islington Gazette a Turkish Gang called "Bombacilar" may have had something to do with an Islington shooting last month and a shooting in Clapton.
Back in 2006 it looked as if the police had stamped out the gang when its leader, Abdullah Baybasin, was jailed for 22 years. The BBC said he started "a gang of young thugs known as the Bombacilar (Bombers) who spread fear throughout the Turkish and Kurdish community.
She says she got the background from cab and bus drivers: "Word on the street is that this killing is in retaliation for last Saturdays killing of a 23 year old Turkish man, Oktay Erbasli, whom police believe was also in retaliation for another killing. The two drug gangs involved are the Tottenham Boys gang, whom Erbasli was a member of and a rival gang called Bombacilar."
The only other mention of the incident I could find was: Gang war fear after second shooting
from Press Association: "A 21-year-old Turkish man was gunned down near a cafe in Hackney, east London, shortly before 11pm on Monday. Paramedics raced to Ickburgh Road, a short distance from Clapton railway station, but were unable to save his life. Two men in their 20s were arrested at the scene and were being questioned by murder squad detectives."
The Sun covered the Tottenham shooting
Is this a rerun of: Turkish gangs spark brutal heroin war?
One of the gangs mentioned by Raggy Dee Ann- bombacilar - was the subject of this piece Turkish gang problem? written back in April.
Turkish gang problem in Hackney: According to the Islington Gazette a Turkish Gang called "Bombacilar" may have had something to do with an Islington shooting last month and a shooting in Clapton.
Back in 2006 it looked as if the police had stamped out the gang when its leader, Abdullah Baybasin, was jailed for 22 years. The BBC said he started "a gang of young thugs known as the Bombacilar (Bombers) who spread fear throughout the Turkish and Kurdish community.
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