Plaistow residents and businesses are calling for a greater police presence following a spate of violent or threatening incidents including a phone-mugging and a shop being vandalised twice.
When the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited the area, Ali Yaman from Plaistow Local Express said the area has become more unsafe over the years.
Speaking from his shop on Plaistow Road, Mr Yaman said: “It used to be much better when we came here in 2013, but now especially at night-time it’s not safe. Even for us, but what can we do? We need to do business. Because we are old here, people know us and every day we see the same faces. There’s not much trouble but sometimes there is, what can you do?”
Mr Yaman went on to say there needs to be a greater police presence as it makes a noticeable difference in the area, and it becomes ‘nice and quiet’.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted the Met Police for comment.
A Newham Council spokesperson said as part of its ongoing community safety work, officers continue to monitor potential locations of concern and will carry out additional patrols and "problem-solving activity" where they can.
Staff at Everest Supermarket, opposite Plaistow Local Express, said their shop was vandalised on two different occasions at the end of last year.
Fadi Uzkar, from Everest Supermarket, said she doesn’t feel the local authorities have done enough to support her shop in the wake of the two incidents.
Ms Uzkar said: “There’s usually a lot of customers causing arguments, it happens a lot in this area. When the window got shattered and when we were under attack because a group of people came in, the police came over but they didn’t do anything or nothing came of it.”
Ms Uzkar said even the standard 10p charge for a plastic bag has put them in fear of violence. She added: “Two days ago someone was about to attack my dad for charging him 10p for a plastic bag, that’s like a major argument, there’s a major problem in this area that bags are 10p. We have this all on the video recorders but the authorities, the police or council don’t do anything about this… in general it’s very, very bad and nothing has been done about it.”
Elena, who was walking along Plaistow Road when the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited, said that as a local resident, she regularly witnesses antisocial behaviour outside her flat.
Elena said: “In our area because there’s a Co-Op, they have a lot of benches there as well so there’s plenty of people around. They’re drinking, they have drugs and sit down and make so much noise until 3am or 5am. I live on the tenth floor but I can still hear the noise.”
She added: “I’ve lived here for 26 years but when I arrived in the UK it was nice. At around 3am or 4am we would come back from the nightclub. We could walk and nobody would give us any trouble. We could walk around the centre of London no problem but now after 8pm you don’t feel safe, even children are not safe going to school.”
One resident said there has been an increased police presence in the high streets, but claimed it has caused troublemakers to move into more residential areas. A recent incident which saw a 58-year-old woman attacked and mugged on her way to work at 6am has also left residents concerned.
Palmira Simoes was left "deeply traumatised" when she was attacked and had her phone stolen on the footbridge between Libra Road and Rawstone Walk on January 30.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by Ms Simoes’ family, she was attacked by two men who ‘grabbed her backpack and violently assaulted her to the point of breaking her arm’ and threatened to beat her with an electric whisk.
She later fell down a flight of stairs as she was getting away, and an X-Ray scan showed she had suffered from fractured, dislocated and shattered bones.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that officers from the North East burglary and robbery investigation unit have made local enquiries and are currently gathering CCTV footage to create a "full picture" of the incident.
The council spokesperson added: “The council always works closely with the police on incidents of this kind but we are unable to comment on the details of a police investigation. We will continue to offer any assistance in relation to this unpleasant incident.
"As part of ongoing community safety work, we continue to monitor potential locations of concern, employing additional patrols and problem solving activity where we can. Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Met Police in the usual way.”
The police spokesperson said: “We understand the emotional impact of this type of crime, and are working alongside the victim and her family to provide as much support as possible. To assist our investigation, anyone with information is urged to contact us via 101, quoting reference 01/7106364/25.”
The Met has not yet responded to the other concerns raised by residents and businesses.
