Burnt Oak Murder - Metropolitan Police respond to Barnet Eye Concerns

Earlier this week, I emailed Barnet Police, detailing some serious concerns regarding  the background issues to the recent murder in Burnt Oak. The text below are my questions and the responses from the Police. 

The responses from the Police are in Blue italics.
-------------------------------------------------

Following the two stabbing incidents in Burnt Oak, I am seeking some clarification on a few issues and concerns which have been raised. I understand that as these are active inquiries you may not be in a position to answer these questions at this time. I am intending to write a blog on the subject. If you reply but do not wish the information to be included, please state specifically what is for public consumption.

 

a) It has been suggested to me that brothels in Barnet are run by organised gangs

b) It has been suggested that there are links between gangs involved in brothels and gangs involved with sale of drugs

c) It has been suggested that the gangs involved in brothels are involved in people trafficing and procurement of underage girls

...we keep active and open minds in relation to all the points you raise...but to answer them specifically

 

a), b) and c) obviously this can't be ruled out, however, the last intelligence assessment we had indicated that these were not drivers in Barnet. In other boroughs they are. This is why we keep alert to the issue and our Safer Neighbourhood teams gather information and intelligence.  Where intelligence does support organised crime the Borough will work in partnership with the MPS's dedicated team who deal with Trafficking and Prostitution. We do need the help of the public in this and other crime related matters as it is the public who hold the information. Safer neighbourhood teams can be contacted by the public with information, but if they wished to remain anonymous, they can use CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or the MPS Trafficking Freephone number 0800 783 2589. We are determined to curb creation and growth of gangs in Barnet as we do see the impact in other parts of London.

 

 

d) There are over 50 brothels known to the police in Barnet

e) Safer neighbourhood teams are not enforcing the law with regards to laws on prostitution

 

d) and e) The number can be subject to change depending on all sorts of factors including police activity. We look to work with partners and use a problem solving approach, such as management of premisies through licensing procedures and issuing closure notices on landlords who allow properties to be used for prostitution. We do undertake quite a bit of activity with regard to such premises having taken into account the impact on the people who live and work in their locale.

 

I think it's important to note that we have to prioritise activity and target those that are most problematic from a crime and disorder perspective and the links to more serious crime. The big challenge in all this is that we simply displace activity to another location. Without being flippant, prostitution is often referred to as the oldest profession ( I think farmers argue that they are!) and the issue of enforcing the laws relating to it have been problematic since the inception of formal policing....enforcement alone simply moves the problem or drives it from the street into premises. Clearly, another challenge is around the supply and demand. There is a huge demand for sexual services and since time immemorial there has been a supply of women offering sexual services otherwise these places wouldn't be viable.

 

There is a much wider debate about how to tackle this in a way which safeguards women in the sex industry as well as preserving quality of life issues for residents and enforcement activity from the police is only one strand of activity.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I hope that the response offers some degree of reassurance that organised crime is not perceived as major problem in Barnet.

More comment from the Police on this story  in the Times - 

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9148452.Burnt_Oak_murder_brothel_was_closed_by_police_in_mid_April/

As with many things, the view of the Police is that whilst Barnet has problems, they are nowhere as serious as those in some other London Boroughs. I believe we need to see visible Policing in Burnt Oak as a priority to reassure local people of this. I find the Police helpful and approachable when discussing such issues. I really think that these messages should be being communicated by the people elected to do it, but they seem to have outsourced responsibility for keeping the people informed to the Bloggers of Barnet as part of the OneBarnet cost savings program.

Were reports of third Burnt Oak stabbing a sick hoax?

Last night, as I was exchanging twitter messages with a member of the Hendon Times editorial team, a friend posted a string of messages indicating that a third stabbing had occurred in Burnt Oak. A telephone call was made to the London Ambulance Service and the police were notified. Many twitter messages sprung up.

In the circumstances, I stopped tweeting. I felt that it wasn't appropriate, if a third stabbing had occurred. I just felt that it was not the right thing to do.

Today the Hendon Times reports that "No victim had been found".

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9147103.Reports_of_third_Edgware_stabbing_unsubstantiated/

Were the reports part of a sick hoax? Sadly it seems such things are all too common. I'm just thankful that it appears the reports were unfounded. I suppose it is inevitable in a society where the ruling class give the impression of not caring, that people will respond in such a stupid fashion. There is a saying "Nature Abhors a vacuum". There is a complete vacuum when it comes to leadership from the local Conservative politicians who are paid a fortune to try and make our community a better place, both in the Council and in Parliament.

Two stabbings and not a peep from Barnet Council- http://www.barnet.gov.uk/press_releases.htm
as for our MP, Matthew Offord - could he have made a less impressive contribution? - http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2011/07/burnt-oak-murder-matthew-offord-finally.html

Burnt Oak Murder : Matthew Offord finally speaks

Matthew Offord MP has finally (three days after the event) responded to public pressure and given an interview to the Hendon Times.
I am taken aback by the crassness of his comments. Truly taken aback.

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9147548.Hendon_MP__shocked__by_murder/

Matthew Offord, Tory MP for Hendon, said:

“These places do attract undesirable people. While it’s obviously very shocking, it’s not a new phenomenon in Barnet and across London.”

What places? Burnt Oak? Brothels? I'm not aware of any murders at brothels in Burnt Oak. This response brings complacency to a new level. In effect Offord says "It doesn't matter, it's not new and I don't care". What about the neighbours, the neighbourhood? This is Offords patch. He has no answers and no input. He adds :-

“It comes down to the prevalence of people carrying and using weapons and that’s the shocking thing. We really must get sentences to act as a deterrent."

This is nonsense. It comes down to effective community policing and good police intelligence. It comes down to MP's making sure their patch is safe. It comes down to making sure the laws we have are properly enforced.  Murder is a mandatory life sentence. Does Offord know nothing? The answer has to be prevention.  I cannot believe these comments.

One or two readers of this blog have queried why I was so upset by the comments of Tim Jones (not Tom , he's a talented singer) in the Hendon Times, regarding the Burnt Oak murder on Sunday. Let me explain why.

In the early 1990's a family friend was murdered by her husband in Edgware.  The husband then went and murdered a man he suspected of having an affair with her. I am not going to rehash the wrongs and rights of the case, but I will detail the effect on the family. Our friends mother, who at the time was in her 60's with a heart condition, was left with two grandchildren to look after aged 4 and 7. She was hounded by local and national press. All manner of stories were reported. The press made up quotes form her and other family friends. Pure speculation was presented as facts. The press reported that the two murdered people were having an affair, although this seemed unlikely to all who knew them. Sadly the only two people who could have confirmed or denied it were dead. Top QC, Michael Mansfield represented the killer and did a fine job of defending his clients behaviour.

What appalled me was the effect on the Mother of the victim and her children. They had no rights. The children returned to school to hear all manner of comments. The mother was asked all manner of questions by the press, which she couldn't answer. She was driven to the edge as friends and neighbours saw articles. Some were sympathetic, some confrontational, some just ignored her. The daughters diary, which provided a huge insight into the case was dismissed by the court as "hearsay".

What I soon realised is that people believe what they read in the press. Even when it is total fabrication. Press often say "The police told us". The police deny it. Victim support offer tea and sympathy, but the criminal justice system is really a business. Once the case was done and dusted, the press move on. Celebrity lawyers move to their next case, having chalked up "a good result". The children in my friends case were lucky enough to move abroad. The mother never truly recovered, but threw the Mill Hill and Edgware Times in the bin when it was delivered, religously for the rest of her life. She never recovered from the bitterness of how her daughter was portrayed.

This was in the days before the internet, twitter and instant news. The press then had the time and opportunity to check the facts, but they got most of them wrong. When I read the stories about the Burnt Oak murder, it all came back. I thought "what is the victims mum thinking. What will their children think. Is this the whole story. What is the other side of the story? We haven't hear that yet.

Another day, another Burnt Oak Stabbing, still no comment from Matthew Offord MP

I arrive home this afternoon to find the news in the Hendon Times that there has been another stabbing in Burnt Oak :-

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9145145.Burnt_Oak_stabbing_witness_describes_victim_s_screams/

Coming only two days after a murder near Burnt Oak station, I cannot tell you how alarming I find the news. This story sounds awful, a mother attacked, daughter threatened, man stabbed. Our local MP, Matthew Offord has still not even mentioned it on his twitter feed, this is his second message since the first stabbing :-

@HendonMP Matthew Offord

Constituent and I meeting with FCO minister

 What on earth does Offord think he is paid to do? He should have visited the site at the first possible opportunity, spoken to local residents and the police and tried to reassure the people of Burnt Oak that he is doing everything in his power to ensure that their safety is his top concern. He has unique access to senior police and should be updating us on their progress and urging witnesses to come forward. 

Does it not occur to Mr Offord that local people are actually rather worried. Whilst no one expects him to personally investigate, he can reassure people that the Police are on top of the situation. I am sure the police are doing a fine job, but they need the support of the community to solve these crimes and protect us. An MP who shows that he's concerned by meeting people and letting us know that he's taking an interest is surely a central part of the picture. Yesterday Matthew Offord posted a tweet (reported here) that he'd been out canvassing.  I cannot imagine a situation where the former MP, Andrew Dismore would have totally ignored a murder in this way in the constituency. 

On another related matter, the Hendon Times has reported the identity of the man killed on Sunday morning as Carlos Roberto Oliveria, a 27 year old Brazilian man, living in Clapham.

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9145718.Burnt_Oak_murder_victim_identified/

The report states that it is not thought that Mr Oliveria was a cleint of the brothel, where the stabbing took place. Yesterday I took strong issue with the Hendon Times and it's assistant editor, Tim Jones, regarding the tone of the story and how the victims family may feel at what had been printed. Mr Jones responded on his twitter feed in forthright terms, stating that I should stick to facts (even though his own article only mentioned a police "theory"). I feel vindicated in my comments that they should have waited until the "facts" were established, before they printed  a story which could have caused grave upset to the family. I must say that I think the todays story by Jack Royston is a far better and more balanced piece, with which I have no issue. They have also removed the comments I left criticising them for comments in the story - apparently to prevent "racist" comments being left by other people.

Of course it is their website and they can do what they like with it. I personally believe the Times should be a responsible community newspaper and exercise a degree of discretion when printing stories about local people. I think that waiting until facts have been established, if someone has died in a way which may cause his family hurt, is not too much to ask. I have had a few emails about the harsh tone and extreme language I used. Yes, I agree that this went way beyond what I would normally ever write in this blog, but I wished to make sure TIm Jomes at the Times read them and gave them some thought. As he clearly did, I feel vindicated in my approach. I don't seek to pick fights or abuse people, but sometimes we all need a wake up call. I know I do and I think TIm Jones did. 

What troubles me about this whole issue. Would our MP have said nothing to the Press or to Twitter if it was in the richest part of Hendon, rather than the poorest. It may surprise (then again it might not) readers to know that it isn't only part of Hendon to house brothels. I had an amusing experience knocking on the door of one when I was canvassing for the Lib Dems, above a shop in Mill Hill Broadway during the last Council elections. What concerns me is the issue of brothels acting as a magnet and focus for organised criminals. If this is the case, then we need police action. If gangs are moving in, then we may see more such disturbing scenes. That is why it is essential that Offord gets in and gets a grip. There is a well known and well documented link between the sex industry, the drugs industry and organised crime.  I happen to believe that it is the duty of the council and our MP's to ensure that these issue are not allowed to take a hold in our neighbourhood, be it Burnt Oak, Brunswick Park, Brent Cross or anywhere in between. As it stands, we just have a disinterested silence.

*** Note : Edited 07:40 - The story I objected to has not been removed from site. The DE of the Times stated the comments had been deleted to prevent other people leaving "racist comments". Tim Jones also wished for me to correct his name, which I had listed as Tom Jones. Apologies to Tom Jones for any embarrassment caused, as well as to Tim Jones

Matthew Offord's first tweet since Burnt Oak Murder

Matthew Offord

@HendonMP Matthew Offord

Large team out canvassing this morning

 

---------------------------------------------------

I simply cannot believe this tweet. Does he know? Does he care?  A young man is dead on his patch and he has a "large team out canvassing this morning"

Burnt Oak Murder : Tim Jones of The Hendon Times responds to the Barnet Eye

The assistant editor of the Hendon Times & associated papers took exception to my previous blog (job done then). He posted the following points on Twitter re the previous blog here. This is what he said :-
  

tpsjones Tim Jones

@barneteye and why does your blog yesterday say nothing from Hendon Times? We had story first. Do you know a fact when you see one?

2 hours ago 

»

tpsjones Tim Jones

@barneteye which is all far more than you seem to have done. How about putting the police number on your own blog? That might help.

2 hours ago 

»

tpsjones Tim Jones

@barneteye we have also widely publicised the police's appeal for information in a bid to solve this and catch whoever is responsible.

2 hours ago 

»

tpsjones Tim Jones

@barneteye what an ill-considered and appalling rant. We are reporting the facts as given to us by the police. The fact are the facts.

2 hours ago 

 

--------------------------------

He makes one valid point, yes it would be good to publicise the police number. Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 0208 358 0100, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

 

So on to his other points. He sulkily claims I should have acknowledged the Times yesterday (not that they ever acknowledge us when they nick our stories). Well I found out about the story via the radio and my own trip to the fishmonger in Burnt Oak. I mentioned the Times coverage in passing. Nothing featured in his story which I used for what I wrote, having been aware of the facts via BBC London 94.9. I thought the coverage yesterday was Ok. Mr Jones accuses me of not knowing a fact when I see one, re the allegation that the address was a brothel. This is rather interesting and shows a poor grasp of English on his part, as his own story states that the police considered the issue of the property being a brothel to be a theory (according to his own story). I may be thick and dyslexic, but in my book a Theory and a Fact are two completely different things.

For the absence of doubt, I object to the story posted  today, which I placed a link to the Times website on, specifying my reasons why.  Mr Jones is free to say what he likes about this blog, but for the second time today, I find myself wishing that he was rather more circumspect in his comments. I am rather pleased that he has at last admitted that people should acknowledge their sources though.  I typed Barneteye into the Times search engine and didn't find a single credit, just two stories about me which came up as well as a readers letter.

Anyway, his tweets are here. Make up your own mind

Barnet Eye round up - Burnt Oak Murder - What the hell is going on ?

Sorry if I upset anyone with what I am going to say here. I am just absolutely sick and disgusted by the fact that somebody was stabbed to death in Burnt Oak, a mile from my front door and no one seems to give a fuck.

First up lets see what our MP, Matthew Offord has to say on his Twitter feed. Over 24 hours later? Absolutely fuck all. What about the news on his website?
http://www.matthewofford.co.uk/news.aspx?id=4 - Nope the troglodytes of Burnt Oak are not worth mentioning to our esteemed MP, although the fact he met a famous sports person is.

What does the local paper have to say?
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9144135.Burnt_Oak_murder__premises_may_have_been_brothel/

Yeah lovely stuff, do they forget the bloke presumably had a family? A mum? A dad? Most sickening of all is the story at the bottom of the story -

Do you know the premises where the stabbing happened? Contact the newsdesk with any information by emailing tjones@london.newsquest.co.uk

Well I have a message for TJones at London.newsquest.co.uk - Fuck off and show some respect. The poor sod isn't even cold on the slab yet and you are looking for salacious stories of rumpy pumpy on the back of his death. You make me sick, trying to spice up the story to boost your circulation. Why don't you bug his families phones and see if you can dig up even more shit? Haven't you learned anything? Why don't you fuck off to News International where you seem to belong.

Does anyone care? I find the reaction truly horrible and disgusting. I'll be saying a prayer for the victim and his family and hoping that the papers see the error of their ways and lay off putting the boot in. Some hope

Burnt Oak Murder - Where is the leadership

Last night I went on a pub crawl around London Bridge followed by a curry. I took the Northern Line home and got off at Burnt Oak to take the 251 bus home. I waited 5 mins for a bus to arrive (not sure of the time, around 11pm). I thought it seemed rather quiet for a Friday night. This morning I had to go to Burnt Oak to buy some fish. As I jumped in the car, the radio told me that a man had been murdered not too long after I passed the spot (maybe 3 hours). The whole road was sealed off.

As peruse the twitter feeds - nothing from our MP. Nothing from the Leader of the Council on any Hendon Times story. Is it just because it's Burnt Oak? Don't people from Burnt Oak matter? If it was a wealthy Totteridge resident, I wonder what the response would be. If it was a millionaire?

Sometimes the Human race makes me sick. We only care about those we deem important. God bless the victim and his family. I will remember them in my prayers.