Stephen Lawrence day: Eltham locals on life in neighbourhood 31 years on from his murder
| Published date | 20 April 2024 |
| Publication title | MyLondon (England) |
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service LDRS: "When we first moved into Eltham it wasn’t quite diverse. But lately, I have seen a whole lot of different people from different backgrounds and ethnicities. So that's quite good to see. Initially, to be honest, when I first moved to Eltham I didn’t like it and I wanted to move out. Now I'm OK with it because it's changed a lot. It's come a long way in the last six years."
Ms Oshadi said police often patrol the town centre but she has noticed less officers on foot since the police station on Well Hall Road closed in 2017. She said she didn't feel that the crime rate in Eltham was as high as neighbouring areas such as Woolwich or Lewisham.
The mum said: "I feel safe. But I'm not going to lie to you, I don't like it when my daughter walks home by herself, she's 18. I don’t like her walking because sometimes there is a group of young boys walking up and down. I think they play football and we have grounds near here. I personally don't feel safe for her. If she's running late, I go and pick her up."
Data from the Met Police stated 687 racist crime offences occurred in Greenwich borough in 2023. The data also showed that 502 offences relating to knife crime had taken place in the borough during the same time frame.
'It’s getting a bit rowdy'
Black Majority Ethnicity Volunteers is a group focused on working with individuals with disabilities and other challenges from various ethnic minority groups. A spokesperson for the group told the LDRS that poverty and lack of education were the underlying causes in challenges faced by minority groups in Greenwich and other boroughs. They said the group believed in fostering more discussions that promote awareness of solutions and forward-thinking ideas to combat the issue.
A teenager who lived off Well Hall Road said he had moved to the area nearly five years ago and that he had noticed police had started patrolling the area in cars more frequently. He said locals were aware of crimes but he did not feel they were racially motivated.
He told the LDRS: "Recently, it’s getting a bit rowdy but generally it's a nice place. At the end of the day there has to be a certain awareness, not only because there's a rise in gangs and stuff...
To continue reading
Request your trial