Hello Everyone,
I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but I found out that Sydenham Station was robbed at machete/gunpoint last night at 8pm, by 2 men, who then got away in a car. I found out on BBC London news, and to be honest it is worrying me. I regularly use the station but was not around last night thank good ness, but is it me or is Sydenham getting rougher and rougher? I haven't been here long but since I've been here there has been a violent assault outside Natwest on the High Street, a robbery at the Gold Shop and now this...
It isn't nice that my partner, who is from Birmingham, thinks we live in a rough area. I never thought Sydenham was rough but now I don't know what to think. It makes us want to move out...
I was just wondering what fellow Sydenham people were thinking about this? I think we should talk about this as I think it is important to air our views on these things...
Robbery at Sydenham Station last night...
hello jeannie
no i dont think sydenham is getting any rougher,i do think though that when something like this happens in the area that you live it makes you more aware of it and maybe it seems more common?
for example;
i know someone who last year was diagnosed with cancer,ever since that i seem to hear more and more stories like hers,i dont think there has been any significant rise in the cancer rate but that i am more aware of it and so notice it more.
i do agree though that it is worrying to hear of this and yes there have been a few incidents lately but probably no more than most london areas with a mixed and diverse community.
no i dont think sydenham is getting any rougher,i do think though that when something like this happens in the area that you live it makes you more aware of it and maybe it seems more common?
for example;
i know someone who last year was diagnosed with cancer,ever since that i seem to hear more and more stories like hers,i dont think there has been any significant rise in the cancer rate but that i am more aware of it and so notice it more.
i do agree though that it is worrying to hear of this and yes there have been a few incidents lately but probably no more than most london areas with a mixed and diverse community.
Armed Robbery at Sydenham Station
I can understand the concern regarding this, however I do think that we have to put things into perspective. The 3 unrelated incidents to which Jeannie referred to, the Nat West attack, the Gold Shop hold up attempt and now this, are spaced fairly far apart in terms of time.
I would like to think Sydenham has no more, probably less, than any other inner city town as far as this sort of crime is concerned. To rob a small town train station office does make you realise how vulnerable those people who work there are. I have often had a chat to those in that little office when getting my 'weekly' to Croydon. I feel so sorry for the staff concerned - nobody deserves to be terrorised like that while just doing their job. I hope the perpetrators are found soon and dealt with as harshly as our judicial system allows - that unfotunately does not say much....
I would like to think Sydenham has no more, probably less, than any other inner city town as far as this sort of crime is concerned. To rob a small town train station office does make you realise how vulnerable those people who work there are. I have often had a chat to those in that little office when getting my 'weekly' to Croydon. I feel so sorry for the staff concerned - nobody deserves to be terrorised like that while just doing their job. I hope the perpetrators are found soon and dealt with as harshly as our judicial system allows - that unfotunately does not say much....
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GLOBAL THINKER
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Hi Jeannie,
Just curious, where would you move to? Also don't they have crime in Birmingham?? If your partner thinks we live in a rough area, I have to say compared to some parts London Sydenham isn't bad. As Gilly mentioned things have to be put into perspective. I have lived in East Dulwich and seen more yellow police boards there than I ever have in Sydenham. Unfortunately crime is everywhere and fortunately violent crime is very rare. Be reasonable and don't scare yourself. The more scared you are, the more powerful the criminal becomes.
Just curious, where would you move to? Also don't they have crime in Birmingham?? If your partner thinks we live in a rough area, I have to say compared to some parts London Sydenham isn't bad. As Gilly mentioned things have to be put into perspective. I have lived in East Dulwich and seen more yellow police boards there than I ever have in Sydenham. Unfortunately crime is everywhere and fortunately violent crime is very rare. Be reasonable and don't scare yourself. The more scared you are, the more powerful the criminal becomes.
You're right...
Hello Everyone...
I suppose I am being a little unreasonable. OK, maybe a lot unreasonable. It's just that I have never had the types of crimes that have happened recently in Sydenham on my doorstep before. I know that sounds incredibly naive!!! I have lived in the Borough all my life (now termed 'Borough and Bankside' in an attempt to make it sound posher than it really is), and although it was very busy, and was on the doorstep of the Elephant and Castle, Walworth and Camberwell Green, I can't recall crimes such as machete's being weilded on station staff being right round the corner or over the road from me. Maybe it's because I was living with my parents and now that I am in my own home with my partner I notice it more and worry too much. My partner and I moved to Sydenham because I wanted to stay in South London, and couldn't imagine living anywhere but in the South. To be honest my partner has lived a pretty sheltered life in Birmingham, he is quite well off and lived in an area where there wasn't much crime, so he notices it a lot more now he is in London.
Anyway, enough of my rantings, in short I know I am probably being silly and I thank you all for your reassurances and for bringing me back down to earth!!! Truth be told I love Sydenham, everything is so convenient and it is far away enough from Central London that I can get away from it all once in a while. Only the other day I had my first experience of getting off a 176 bus at about 4am after a concert in Wembley, only to find there was no one, not a single person, car or any living thing, in sight! It was so quiet, not a single noise! And that was unusual for me being in London, but I still felt safe! So I suppose that proves your point...
I suppose I am being a little unreasonable. OK, maybe a lot unreasonable. It's just that I have never had the types of crimes that have happened recently in Sydenham on my doorstep before. I know that sounds incredibly naive!!! I have lived in the Borough all my life (now termed 'Borough and Bankside' in an attempt to make it sound posher than it really is), and although it was very busy, and was on the doorstep of the Elephant and Castle, Walworth and Camberwell Green, I can't recall crimes such as machete's being weilded on station staff being right round the corner or over the road from me. Maybe it's because I was living with my parents and now that I am in my own home with my partner I notice it more and worry too much. My partner and I moved to Sydenham because I wanted to stay in South London, and couldn't imagine living anywhere but in the South. To be honest my partner has lived a pretty sheltered life in Birmingham, he is quite well off and lived in an area where there wasn't much crime, so he notices it a lot more now he is in London.
Anyway, enough of my rantings, in short I know I am probably being silly and I thank you all for your reassurances and for bringing me back down to earth!!! Truth be told I love Sydenham, everything is so convenient and it is far away enough from Central London that I can get away from it all once in a while. Only the other day I had my first experience of getting off a 176 bus at about 4am after a concert in Wembley, only to find there was no one, not a single person, car or any living thing, in sight! It was so quiet, not a single noise! And that was unusual for me being in London, but I still felt safe! So I suppose that proves your point...
Tonight there was considerable police activity in Sydenham Road. Lotsa police cars and "hey" they were not using sirens! Maybe, this time, they did not want to alert the villains they were pursuing!
I had just seen the notice at the station asking for witnesses and wondered if there was a connection.
I suspect the increase in armed crime in Sydenham relates to the crackdown in nearby West Norwood. The crims have moved to a safer place (for them). What do they know about the cameras in Sydenham that we do not?
On the bright side... these crimes were all targetted at institutions perceived to hold a great deal of money on the premises rather than "street crime". "Street crime" i.e. muggings et al are the ones that are most likely to concern you (unless you happen to work behind the counter at one of the likely targets). I believe Sydenham is relatively safe so far as this kind of crime is concerned although I am sure someone will have information to the contrary.
I had just seen the notice at the station asking for witnesses and wondered if there was a connection.
I suspect the increase in armed crime in Sydenham relates to the crackdown in nearby West Norwood. The crims have moved to a safer place (for them). What do they know about the cameras in Sydenham that we do not?
On the bright side... these crimes were all targetted at institutions perceived to hold a great deal of money on the premises rather than "street crime". "Street crime" i.e. muggings et al are the ones that are most likely to concern you (unless you happen to work behind the counter at one of the likely targets). I believe Sydenham is relatively safe so far as this kind of crime is concerned although I am sure someone will have information to the contrary.
knighton,i too became aware of the police activity a little earlier,however at this end of sydenham[upper]they did use their sirens,so maybe if the incident was in the high st they used the sirens up this end to alert other rd users and then turned them off as they approached the scene so as not to warn the villains of their impending arrival?
Hi, this is my first post!
I'm in the process of moving to Sydenham from Highbury..we were attracted to the area by the open spaces, bars & restaurants of Crystal Palace and recommendations of friends who live in the area, as well as by how much more space we could get for our money - which is an awful lot.
I find such reports of crime worrying and ask myself if we haven't made a terrible mistake. Then I consider where I live now and where, through familiarity alone I feel completely safe, with the regular precautions: In the last couple of months there has been a shooting at the Angel, another at Finsbury Park and a murder at Highbury & Islington Station. All "street crimes" i.e. not aimed at an institution and all in the evening rush hour.
Unfortunately this is just part and parcel of living in London and it's the rough and the smooth that make this the best place in the world to live.
Course it's easy for me to say this now at my pc,cuppa in hand..i wait to see how I'll be feeling the first time I have to get the train home on my own late at night..
My thoughts are with the poor staff at the station. As someone said earlier, no one deserves to be put through that sort of terror when they're just trying to earn a living.
I'm in the process of moving to Sydenham from Highbury..we were attracted to the area by the open spaces, bars & restaurants of Crystal Palace and recommendations of friends who live in the area, as well as by how much more space we could get for our money - which is an awful lot.
I find such reports of crime worrying and ask myself if we haven't made a terrible mistake. Then I consider where I live now and where, through familiarity alone I feel completely safe, with the regular precautions: In the last couple of months there has been a shooting at the Angel, another at Finsbury Park and a murder at Highbury & Islington Station. All "street crimes" i.e. not aimed at an institution and all in the evening rush hour.
Unfortunately this is just part and parcel of living in London and it's the rough and the smooth that make this the best place in the world to live.
Course it's easy for me to say this now at my pc,cuppa in hand..i wait to see how I'll be feeling the first time I have to get the train home on my own late at night..
My thoughts are with the poor staff at the station. As someone said earlier, no one deserves to be put through that sort of terror when they're just trying to earn a living.
hello randomv,
leaf's right. sydenham really is no more or less dangerous than any other part london - no matter how outwardly 'posh' it is. maybe it's just a case of what you're used to. we lived in highbury for about 6 months, and after my wife was mugged, friends living on really nice islington streets were broken into or robbed at gunpoint right outside their house (two seperate incidents, which happened within streets of each other), we decided we'd never feel entirely 'safe' in north london and came straight back south.
the street we lived in before moving here was supposedly one of wandsworth's most 'prestigious' (whatever that means), but cars were broken into constantly, drunken idiots were everywhere, and i saw more of those yellow incident signs around there than i ever have in sydenham.
this robbery is horrible, but far worse things happen around, say, cheyne walk all the time, and nobody's accusing that area of getting 'rougher'.
so don't worry. you haven't made a mistake moving here.
welcome!
leaf's right. sydenham really is no more or less dangerous than any other part london - no matter how outwardly 'posh' it is. maybe it's just a case of what you're used to. we lived in highbury for about 6 months, and after my wife was mugged, friends living on really nice islington streets were broken into or robbed at gunpoint right outside their house (two seperate incidents, which happened within streets of each other), we decided we'd never feel entirely 'safe' in north london and came straight back south.
the street we lived in before moving here was supposedly one of wandsworth's most 'prestigious' (whatever that means), but cars were broken into constantly, drunken idiots were everywhere, and i saw more of those yellow incident signs around there than i ever have in sydenham.
this robbery is horrible, but far worse things happen around, say, cheyne walk all the time, and nobody's accusing that area of getting 'rougher'.
so don't worry. you haven't made a mistake moving here.
welcome!
Randomv you definately made a good move. Unless you are really unlucky there is no way you will regret it. I was born and bred in North London but after living south for 8 years or so I would never move back up north even if I won the lottery. I encouraged some friends to move to sydenham about year ago and they are very glad they did. They still feel baffled about why it is so afforable whilst also being a great place to live. I have lived in lots of parts of London and Sydenham seems rather less crime-ridden than the other parts I've lived in. If you want an example of a rough part of London try Archway (just up the road form Highbury). It is terrible for crime and yet the houses cost half a million.
Incidentally, most of the crime I 've ever encountered was not in London at all but when I lived in a small village in Essex. I only lived there for 2 years and in that time the house was burgled twice and once I was even physically attacked whilst walking home! I have never personally been burgled in London and never been attacked, depite having lived in this city for more years than I care to reveal!
Sydenham has loads of positive aspects that other places don't have, it has much more of a community feel to it and it also has great transport links and loads of green spaces and yet is affordable, even in comparison to places not half as nice, so rest assured. Everyone goes on about the east london line making it better, sending property prices up etc. which is all lovely ,especially if you own your house, but I for one hope it doesn't change too much because its already a great place. WELCOME!
Incidentally, most of the crime I 've ever encountered was not in London at all but when I lived in a small village in Essex. I only lived there for 2 years and in that time the house was burgled twice and once I was even physically attacked whilst walking home! I have never personally been burgled in London and never been attacked, depite having lived in this city for more years than I care to reveal!
Sydenham has loads of positive aspects that other places don't have, it has much more of a community feel to it and it also has great transport links and loads of green spaces and yet is affordable, even in comparison to places not half as nice, so rest assured. Everyone goes on about the east london line making it better, sending property prices up etc. which is all lovely ,especially if you own your house, but I for one hope it doesn't change too much because its already a great place. WELCOME!
not posted for a while but felt i had to reference the level of crome ..i have lived in sydenham for 10 years and am disgusted at the level of intimidation , dirty streets and yobs that seem to have nout better to do ..only today did i suffer racism for asking two lads to mind their language in front of two children ..sydenham could /should be a lovely place to live ..it is getting worse without a doubt
Hi Biffa
The question is though, is Sydenham getting worse or is the same thing happening everywhere? If it's the latter, its a problem in society in general and is going to be a lot more difficult to fix.
I went back to my hometown a few months ago and was horrified at how intimidated I felt there. From kids to grannies, they all looked like they wanted a fight! And this is in a very affluent town, so sadly I think it's the way our society is going
The question is though, is Sydenham getting worse or is the same thing happening everywhere? If it's the latter, its a problem in society in general and is going to be a lot more difficult to fix.
I went back to my hometown a few months ago and was horrified at how intimidated I felt there. From kids to grannies, they all looked like they wanted a fight! And this is in a very affluent town, so sadly I think it's the way our society is going
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rob.hast@gmail.com
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