Manor Park, East London
Where the ghost of Catherine Tylney still haunts!

The Newham Crime and Disorder Audit Summary 2004 has been popped through doors lately.

Here's an excerpt:

Newham's population

Newham is a diverse borough of 243, 891 residents of which 40% are under 21.  Census figures show that Newham has the highest proportion of Black & minority ethnic (BME) residents (approx. 60%) in the country.  The single largest ethnic group is White British (35%) followed by Black African (13%), Indian (12%), Bangladeshi (9%), Pakistani (8%) and African Caribbean (6%).  Newham is currently ranked the sixth most deprived borough in the country.

Manor Park and East Ham have the highest concentrations of people living within their boundaries; generally the south of the borough is less populated.  Stratford has a large number of people passing through the town centre since it has the most active commercial and night time economy within the borough.  Stratford, Canning Town and East Ham are busy transport interchanges for tube, bus and rail.

Crime overview

The overall level of crime over the audit period (2001/2 to 2003/4) in Newham is mainly stable.

It's nice to know how unique we are in the country,  especially our little corner of Newham.  Maybe all sorts of thinktanks and Social Research institutions will come here to investigate how such a demographic shift has affected the lives of the long-term natives who still reside here (either by choice or because they can't leave).

On Saturday 5th February 2005.

The flyer goes:

Your Manor Park Community Forum warmly invites you to join in with their planned "walkabout" on Saturday 5th February 2005.  Starting at 9.45AM - 12PM.  Meeting point: Monega Primary School, London, E12 6TT

If you would like to have your say on the problems in your area or how you feel your area could be improved, either:

• Join us on the tour of the area, or
• Look out for us as we pass and give us your views.

The group of forum members residents, council officers and Councillors will walk around a set of local streets noting and reporting any problems and eyesores for corrective action.

The route will Include Parts of:

• Shrewsbury Road
• Monega Road
• Strone road

The walk should last approximately 2 hours.

Come and Support your community.
For more information please call 0800 519 4015

The map shows the route to be south of the Woodgrange cemetery, between Katherine Road and High Street North.

Just as I was imagining things had improved in the neighbourhood, I hear the reality is otherwise!  Both station attendants at Manor Park have been recent victims of crime in the Gladding Road/Whitta Road/Capel Road area.  One was mugged in the past week, while the other had his car stolen.  There were other stories of muggings, car thefts and car break-ins in the area.

The notion of a Neighbourhood Watch for this area, such as is being planned for Manor Park Village (see previous post) is only a minimum that could be considered.  There's an even bigger message here: EVERYBODY, DON'T MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS ANYMORE.  STICK YOUR NOSE INTO EVERYTHING!   Because it is the only way to cut down, fight, or deter crime.  Don't think if you've just moved to London that you can exist anonymously here, commuting to work by day and returning home at night to find everything hunky dory, and keeping entirely to yourself. 

It is impossible to live safely anywhere in Britain nowadays without investing some effort into your neighbours and your local community.  It used to be that young adults could depend on local housewives and retired people to keep an eye on things during the daytime, but this is no longer possible.  Housewives are a thing of the past.  Retired people are often frail, or they are exhausted by the lack of support they receive from the neighbours, the community, the society, and the authorities.   Additionally, there are some residents from other cultures, who are not assimilating into the neighbourhood or into British culture, which effectively makes them even MORE insular than the proverbial Englishman ever used to be.

Don't let anyone else ignore things and then blame the police when a crime is committed.  Everybody has to keep their eyes open and talk to all their neighbours, or make all their neighbours talk.  If you're a home owner, your property value really, really does depend on these simple deeds.   If you're a tenant, you should be telling your landlord to get involved, or warn him that the rents might drop!  And the quality of life in the neighbourhood affects everybody....

A flyer cane through my door:

The next meeting of Manor Park Village Neighbourhood Watch is on Monday January 17th at 7.30

St Nicholas Church hall Gladding Road

Police and Council representatives will be present.

Together Campaign 0800731 3300
24 hr confidential
( for anti-social behaviour issues )

At Manor Park Station, you have to buy a ticket from a machine when the ticket office is closed or busy.

So I wanted to buy a ticket, a One-Way, aka Single into Underground zone 1.  I was horrified that it showed me the lowest fare for this journey was the One Day Travelcard at £5.20.

Today I asked the Station Attendant to check this, and he confirmed that it was wrong.  He also confirmed that I had been pressing the correct buttons on the machine.  They will look into it.

So don't get cheated by the Train Company.  These fares are ludicrously expensive already, what with the fare increases that happened over the New Year.  And the entire Transport ticket-checking system is quick to come down on you with a £10 fine if you've got the wrong ticket.  So when they start selling the wrong tickets and are taking more money from you than is correct, wouldn't it be nice if you could as an individual slap them back with a £100 fine?

I took the bus instead.  Sod Ken Livingstone.