HAVING had a knife put to my throat by a black 'gentleman' last Monday afternoon at 2.45pm in Grosvenor Road, Wanstead, I feel I have to write to your paper.

To say that I am astonished by the headline of your January 23 issue of the Guardian (Beating Crime) is putting it mildly to say the least. We must be living in a totally different society to Superintendent Johnson. Is he really serious in his assessment of what is going on all around us every day?

How sad it is when you cannot walk back from the bank on a lovely, bright, wintry day, down a very residential street, without being accosted and threatened with being stabbed.

Where is this police presence? Doesn't Superintendent Johnson understand that there is real fear out there on our once very pleasant Wanstead streets?

It is no longer safe day or night now even to conduct your business let alone go for a leisurely stroll for fear of being robbed, attacked or abused by the vermin that we are also now plagued with in our once lovely area.

Barclay's Bank or its security van delivery robbed twice in three weeks. Yes, it really is beating crime, isn't it? Not to mention all of the other incidents that have gone on this week in the area.

Fortunately, I was not physically injured, but it didn't give me much confidence when the 999 response line to my cell-phone call took five to seven minutes to respond. Four times the operator came on the line and apoligised for the delay. Sorry, you haven't got my vote of confidence that our environment is safe and from now on I will need a lot of reassuring that I can regard the area as safe and secure. It is not. Far from it.

I just wonder how long it will take before those of moderate opinion lose patience and take matters into their own hands, to protect what is theirs.

RESIDENT OF WANSTEAD.

January 29, 2003 15:00