Dad fears for family safety after Bexleyheath stabbings

Atilla, who has lived in Bexleyheath for more than 20 years, is anxious about letting his kids outside after hearing about the recent events.

It comes after a 17-year-old boy was taken to hospital after a stabbing in Bexleyheath Broadway on November 11.

Eight days later, on November 19, a man in his 30s was also taken to hospital after a stabbing in Lion Road.

Lion Road, Bexleyheath stabbing (Image: Newsquest)

• READ MORE: Lion Road Bexleyheath Broadway stabbing: Man in critical condition

Atilla moved to Bexleyheath from Stoke Newington in 1999 as his friends and family “insisted” that the area was safe for his children to grow up in.

The 61-year-old said: “North London wasn’t partially a safe place to live.

“After the birth of my sons, I knew I had to make the decision in leaving to a better area.

Lion Road, Bexleyheath stabbing (Image: Newsquest)

“I’ve got friends and family who live in Sidcup, Bexleyheath, and Blackheath.

“At the time they said that these areas were a great place for children to grow up.

“So, I made the decision to move.”

• READ MORE: Market Place Bexleyheath stabbing: Boy in hospital

Atilla’s priority was always to create a “better” future for his sons.

Living in Stoke Newington was not always “easy” for Atilla, as he also claims he was a victim of racism in his five years there.

Atilla explained: “It’s not always easy coming from another country and adapting to a new lifestyle.

“Unfortunately after moving to Stoke Newington and working there as a Turkish man, I had been a victim of racism a number of times.

“I think my experience here was partially the reason I left north London.”

After moving to Bexleyheath, Atilla was “excited” about embarking on a journey with his family.

He said that living in Bexleyheath has been “fairly quiet” until recently he noticed an increase in stabbing incidents on the news.

Lion Road, Bexleyheath stabbing (Image: Newsquest)

Atilla added: “It’s never been like this in Bexleyheath, to be honest.

“It’s terrifying to see that there were recently two stabbings in the space of a week.

“Now I look on the news and social media and it’s almost every day, not just in Bexleyheath but other places that are close to it.

“We never used to fear going to the local park or shopping.

“But now you have to be extra careful when you go out, and that’s a horrible feeling to carry with you.”

Atilla is now calling for the Metropolitan Police to take action in having more police patrols overnight.

He said parents like himself will feel confident in sending their children outside if patrols are increased.

Atilla explained: “I think it’s important to have more patrols.

“Although both of my sons are 23 years old, I can’t have a say if they’re allowed to go out or not.

“But having more patrols will put my mind at ease when they’re going outside, especially during the night.

“I understand how hard our forces work but this is how most parents feel.”

A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police said: "Our plans for tackling knife crime are strong. Officers are using a wide range of tactics, including prevention and diversion activities which play a key part alongside enforcement action.

"Our relentless activity has led to reductions across serious violent crime categories including fewer homicides and a significant reduction in ‘knife crime causing injury’ among those under the age of 25.

"With 1040 offences solved, there has been a 17.2% increase in sanction detections for knife crimes in this financial year to date when compared to the same period in 2021/22.

"However, we are not complacent, and we recognise that this is in the context of a 9.7% increase in knife enabled robbery across the Met area. Taking robust action to address this increase is a priority for the Met.

"Our officers are working hard along with partners to make further progress in tackling knife crime and keeping our communities safe.

"Communities have a vital role to play in tackling knife crime. We need information about crime and criminals, those who carry a weapon, or those who exploit people for gain or revenge.

"They are putting young people’s lives at risk. For those not comfortable in speaking to the police, Crimestoppers is a totally, independent charity. They do not ask your name or trace your call. Please contact them.

"The introduction of town centre teams is one of a number of measures that have been implemented to tackle violent crime.

"The Kingston town centre team was launched in the last year to bolster local policing in areas of London where there is high demand.

"Specialist units such as the Violent Crime Taskforce are also a resource which can be deployed on demand to local areas.

"These teams use a mixture of tactics to target street violence.

"They support boroughs with longer deployments of up to three months, as well as shorter, week-long deployments which can be swiftly moved depending on intelligence and any spikes of violence."