NOT THERE YET.

Do They Care?

Regular readers will remember that local people round here (particularly on the estates, but also along the Harrow Road) have the perception that public authorities don't much care about them, so here's a new example. A Warwick Estate resident was mugged in the lift of her tower block. They took her bank card and used it almost immediately to draw money from the machine in the Costcutter shop on the Harrow Road. She is no shrinking violet, and reported the mugging to the police, with the precise time, and descriptions of the robbers, and urging them to view the cctv recordings, as there are cameras both in the lift and the lobby of the block. She knows about the cameras, because she was instrumental in getting them installed (paid for by residents' money). A little later she received a letter from the Metropolitan Police saying that no further action would be taken as "no cctv recording existed", but that the Westbourne Safer Neighbourhood Team had been informed. Well, that wasn't true either. To be fair to the Police, it is possible that City West Homes are not actually using the cctv cameras that exist on the estate; it is possible that their contempt for their tenants is such that they don't switch on the cameras that the tenants provided. Yes, I'm sure it's cheaper not to actually run the cameras and have anyone actually supervise them, but might it not have been polite to tenants to let them know that, if that was the case?

When I used this story in my sermon yesterday I got a response from a parishioner who lives on the Brunel Estate, who told me she was sure it was the Police rather than City West to blame, based on her experience. She was robbed at knifepoint, when pregnant, and pushing a toddler in a buggy, and duly reported it. The very next day she received a letter saying no further investigation was possible. Hmm.

Our dedicated Ward constables are good, enthusiastic and hardworking, but of course they are not in fact the police officers who actually investigate crimes, and local people have a very clear perception that crimes happening on the estates are of little interest. As far as the Met is concerned a certain level of robbery, burglary and car crime is to be expected on our estates, and frankly constitutes background noise. In Westminster, it is perfectly clear that the West End is the big deal for policing, alongside the royal and governmental areas, and up to a point that's fair enough. I think local people do get a bit grumpy about tourists being prioritized in front of them, but you can understand a strong desire not to kill the golden goose. So we must keep the streets of the West End safe, so tourists aren't frightened away, but estate-dwellers in north Westminster have nowhere else to go and have to put up with it.


And So It Begins

St Mary Magdalene's School Christingle Service was the first test of our substitute Christmas arrangements, having a church full of scaffolding. The school very wisely decided to halve it in size, so it was just a Keystage 2 service (the infants have Nativity plays) which meant that we could actually fit into the school hall, along with parents, and even have room for a stage. It was, of course, much less atmospheric, but perhaps being well-lit was responsible for the parents behaving better than they usually do in church. I felt I should inject a little more religion into proceedings since we were in a secular space, and that seemed to go down fine. I was interested to see the ukuleles being played, as they are stored in the "creative room" where we have the Class Mass, but it wasn't terribly exciting, as they were just strummed. They haven't got onto the full George Formby yet.

The Benefice Carol Service had to happen at St Peter's, and we had no idea what to expect. It had to be simpler, because there is no room for a choir, and hence the service would be shorter, as there could be no choir carols. James had got together a couple of string players, and so we had three short musical pieces, but essentially we did much as we normally do. Obviously, the atmosphere was different: 1970s functional worship-space instead of 1870s neo-gothic basilica. Curiously, two readers made mistakes in when they were supposed to come forward, which normally never happens; was this really the inherent informality of the building affecting the participants? Certainly, the awe-inspiring side of St Mary Mags does make people check that they're doing things right. Some experience this as being uptight, though that's certainly not the desired impression. Anyway, we had a relaxed Carol Service, followed by copious mince pies and mulled wine. We even had a dog in the congregation. Normally, at St Mary Mags, a charming Maida Vale lady comes to the Carol Service with her Jack Russell; this year a vulnerable lady who we know well, and who lives just behind St Peter's, brought her little dog (which wore a thick coat), so that tradition was maintained.