‘Vigilance needed to reclaim Cowley park’ (From The Oxford Times)
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‘Vigilance needed to reclaim Cowley park’
7:00pm Saturday 30th June 2012 in News
By Rhianne Pope
Ward councillor Saj Malik plans to talk to local police in the wake of the mass brawl in the football cage at Cowley Marsh Park
A PARK in Oxford has become a no-go area because of youth gangs, residents say.
People living near Cowley Marsh Park say they are often too scared to use it.
It comes as police investigate a mass brawl at the park, in which up to 12 youths fought with sticks and iron bars.
Marsh Road resident Hilda Walker said: “I used to use the park quite a bit until big gangs of youths went there.
“There were lots of them and it made you feel quite intimidated so I stopped. They would watch you as you walked past them.”
The pensioner added: “The bit where they had that fight was quite isolated so I don’t think anyone would have seen it.”
The fight in the park’s football cage on the evening of Tuesday, June 21, left two teenagers hospitalised – one 18-year-old needed surgery for fractures to his face.
A 17-year-old boy and 18-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and bailed until August 16.
Mum-of-three Yasmin Sidhwa, who lives in Crescent Road, said she and her husband had asked her 15-year-old son not to visit the park when he goes out for a game of football.
She said: “Our kids will innocently be going down to play football and you just think who’s going to be there? Will they be after a fight?
“We used to feel safe in our local park but it’s now no longer that place that’s somewhere easy to go.
“I think it probably needs community policing until this goes away.”
She said that in comparison to nearby Florence Park, which is regularly patrolled by park wardens, she rarely saw a council or police presence in Marsh Park.
Cowley Marsh city councillor Saj Malik said: “Cowley Marsh Park has had problems in the past but that was dealt with well by police.
“There used to be a big problem with people bringing their dogs to the park to fight them but that doesn’t happen now.
“I am aware of these issues residents are having now and I think we need to be more vigilant.”
Back in 2007, Insp Graham Sutherland, Cowley area inspector, highlighted the park as being threatening and unfriendly and an area frequented by prostitutes.
In March last year, police spoke out about concerns the park was again being used by prostitutes.
Two months later a man was stabbed several times in the park while he played cricket. He was left in a serious condition in hospital.
Mr Malik added: “I am going to talk to our local police team to make sure our PCSOs are patrolling the park.
“We have such great facilities there, cricket nets and the football cage. It would be a shame if people feel they can’t use them.”
Police said the incident was an argument which had spiralled out of control and was not believed to be linked to gang violence.
Last night, Sgt Andy Heelas from the Cowley Marsh neighbourhood team said: “Every time we are on duty our police officers or support officers go in one part of the park or another so we are in there most days.
“We have not had any problems in the park other than this one incident.”
Comments(23)
pocketpixie
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12:38am Sun 1 Jul 12
steve1955
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9:54am Sun 1 Jul 12
Geoff Roberts
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10:44am Sun 1 Jul 12
Geoff Roberts
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10:48am Sun 1 Jul 12
ox-cabby wrote:You're blaming it on people from other areas - why? Not afraid it might actually be one of your own neighbour's teenagers or even you're own are you? Because from what I've seen much of the trouble in that area is from teenagers in the area, not outside.
No one should feel unsafe or intimidated in a park. On a regular basis there's people having fun by playing football or cricket practice (thanks to cllr saj malik) in the nets which certainly takes youngsters off the streets and getting them to do a sport and just have fun.
If there is trouble, its probably gangs coming from another area and causing problems, that is not acceptable and by being 'vigilant' as cllr Malik says is simply saying, report those trouble makers who just come for trouble and who the regulars dont recognise.
Myron Blatz
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7:13pm Sun 1 Jul 12
ox-cabby
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10:06am Mon 2 Jul 12
your post is not only based on assumption but its stinks of racism. What do you actualy mean when you say ''your own''??
Also explain why you think all the trouble makers are from cowley?? Please read my previous post again and pay particular attention to the last couple of lines. Its all about vigilance and not about your kind of attitude 'its a cowley problem, you deal with it'.
Grow up or shut up!
ox-cabby
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10:17am Mon 2 Jul 12
By the way can you confirm whether the recent fight between two caucasians in which one was hospitalised was ''your own'' OR my own?? Since you have psychic powers??
CLLR KEN TIWARI
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11:11am Mon 2 Jul 12
oxdork
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11:57am Mon 2 Jul 12
ox-cabby wrote:"your own" = your own teenagers. Your comment is not only based on assumption but stinks of poor reading comprehension.
Geoff your post is not only based on assumption but its stinks of racism. What do you actualy mean when you say ''your own''?? Also explain why you think all the trouble makers are from cowley?? Please read my previous post again and pay particular attention to the last couple of lines. Its all about vigilance and not about your kind of attitude 'its a cowley problem, you deal with it'. Grow up or shut up!
pocketpixie
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2:15pm Mon 2 Jul 12
King Joke
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2:34pm Mon 2 Jul 12
mattyproper77
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3:21pm Mon 2 Jul 12
King Joke
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3:36pm Mon 2 Jul 12
mattyproper77 wrote:Too true. I was hearing the same stories about teenagers in the 1970s as I do now. THere was no 'golden age' when everyone toed the line.
Used to be mass brawls with people losing their teeth and getting knives in the backside 20+ years ago here - same as it ever was
ox-cabby
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5:36pm Mon 2 Jul 12
Sorry mr editor for making that assumption. Please put in a good word with the ox mail......hmmm
Geoff Roberts
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11:02pm Mon 2 Jul 12
ox-cabby wrote:Here's what I wrote:
Geoff
your post is not only based on assumption but its stinks of racism. What do you actualy mean when you say ''your own''??
Also explain why you think all the trouble makers are from cowley?? Please read my previous post again and pay particular attention to the last couple of lines. Its all about vigilance and not about your kind of attitude 'its a cowley problem, you deal with it'.
Grow up or shut up!
"You're blaming it on people from other areas - why? Not afraid it might actually be one of your own neighbour's teenagers or even you're own are you? Because from what I've seen much of the trouble in that area is from teenagers in the area, not outside."
Your own neighbour's teenagers or your own teenagers. I've no idea where you got the idea of racism of from. I don't even know what race you are!
Then you alleged that I think all the trouble makers are from Cowley. Which is also not true and not what I wrote, I carefully used the phrase "much of the trouble" in order to avoid making a generalisation that I cannot backup. You made the generalisation and attributed it to me.
So both your points are proven invalid.
Telling me to shut up isn't a good way to encourage civilised, discussion between adults is it - which makes your last line a bit of an oxymoron!
Geoff Roberts
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11:06pm Mon 2 Jul 12
Geoff Roberts
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11:08pm Mon 2 Jul 12
Geoff Roberts
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11:13pm Mon 2 Jul 12
King Joke
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8:29am Tue 3 Jul 12
famalam
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5:24pm Tue 3 Jul 12
Firstly this kind of thing happens in poorer areas. But it's not just being poor that makes it happen. It's the inequality - and in a place like oxford inequality is as bad as it gets anywhere in the country. Blaming parents is not fair and not right. Lots of parents from my experience will be working several jobs just to get enough money to get by and support their children. It means we don't have much parental support - but this is capitalism and nowadays jobs are less secure and more flexible so there's nothing the parents can do. Also the best parenting in the world isn't going to stop people doing what your friends do - so if your friends are doing anti-social stuff it becomes surprisingly hard not to get involved with it yourself.
Secondly, and probably more importantly, we need to look at how to stop it happening. I don't live in Cowley - tho I used to - but if the park is too intimidating for people to use then that needs to change. Police presence often just flares more anger and conflict between police, especially given the police's lack of respect for young people. Long sentences have been shown to lead to more re-offending. Y'all should check out the Independent Working Class Association's stuff in Blackbird Leys. A park was too intimidating for ordinary residents so they got together and held community pickets in the park against drug dealers and muggers - now the park is safer.
dorset.hit.squad
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9:23pm Wed 4 Jul 12
Kings_copse_NIA
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1:30am Fri 6 Jul 12
Thats not Cricket
ox-cabby says...
9:45pm Sat 30 Jun 12
If there is trouble, its probably gangs coming from another area and causing problems, that is not acceptable and by being 'vigilant' as cllr Malik says is simply saying, report those trouble makers who just come for trouble and who the regulars dont recognise.