I am glad that you feel many would back my son on this and look to all of you to do so, wherver you have any influence.

Thanks for the support

We have in Camberwell what many other places claim to have — a truly multicultural community (a phrase used to imply harmony elsewhere when this just isn’t the case). For what it’s worth you know that me and the vast majority of others round here would back your son up on this, whatever our race or colour.

It’s just a shame that the same diversity of backgrounds isn’t reflected in those who police our area.

My son has been stopped and searched many times, all by different police. They persistently refuse to tell him why they have stopped him. In fact they tell him to shut up. They don’t follow procedures. They humiliate my son in public places.On several occasions, they have put him in handcuffs and searched him on the street.

I expect it is more comfortable for people to believe that there are a few police who behave like this and white young people get stoppped as often as black young people. Unfortunately in my experience this isn’t the case.

I am afraid I feel my son is seen as a potential criminal by the police and society because of the way he looks. He is almost scared to be on the streets and no matter how uncomfortable it is, I blame the unprofessional behaviour of the police who stop and search him on a regular basis for that.

I am probably responsible for tying up police time at the moment as I have vowed to complain on his behalf every time procedures are not followed from now on.

Anyway, sorry to bring such a friendly forum down. But I think it is an important issue that local people shoould know about. It is easy for people like me, who have never been stopped and searched, to think that this only happens to the criminal elements of society. My son has no criminal record, is a college student and has two part time jobs.

Incidentally, I too have been mugged by a black man. I have also been married to one for 25 years.

The trouble is that we’re looking at a vicious circle here. As we all know, the police force was judged to be “institutionally racist” following the Stephen Lawrence enquiry. It’s clear that you feel that your son being mixed race has a lot to do with him being stopped and searched so much, and I’ve got a horrible feeling you’re right.

However, we can’t get rid of the police. We need them. And them being branded as institutionally racist can only mean one thing: that many white people who abhor racism will be put off joining, and that very, very few people from minorities would touch the idea with a barge pole. I remember thinking when the story hit the headlines — How must this make the (many) decent people in the police force feel, being tarred with the one brush? It would probably tempt them into early retirement…

And of course that would only make things even worse.

I have been mugged once whilst in Camberwell, and the mugger was a black man. I know this is a silly comparison (I’ve not been mugged twenty times in the last three months by black men). What I’m trying to say is that we need to stop ourselves from treating any group, whether that of young black men or the police as all being the same.

I honestly feel that the police (in general) take the issue of racism as seriously as the rest of us. However, if nobody from the minority communities want to involve themselves, and white people who are in no way racist won’t get involved either (for fear of being branded to the contrary) where are we heading?

On Monday he was riding up the Old Kent rd and stopped again. He had had one drink several hours earlier and so the police officer breathalysed him. Fair enough. He ran out of puff and the machine bleeped so the officer told him off and arrested him again, put him in cuffs on the roadside and searched him. They took him to the station and left his bike on a red route at a busstop. The breath test they did was negative.

As he left, the officers jeered at him saying-“You’re bike was left on a red route, so it will be stolen or taken by the red route patrol” He went back to the spot and of course it was gone.

The bike was his pride and joy, bought with his won earnings. He needs his bike to get to his part time job and college. he was a victim of an attack himself last December and doesn’t like to travel on public transport as a result.

Again he received no paperwork.

So as Camberwell residents, spare a thought for the many young black boys on your streets who have done nothing wrong and are persistently harrassed and bullied by the police.

We are breeding a community of youngsters who have nothing but contempt for the police. What can I tell him? How would you feel?

While Peckham and Camberwell are definitely improving, the process seems to be taking longer than one might hope. I can’t help thinking that Southwark has missed a trick here. Pouring £300 million into new housing has brought tangible improvements, but that alone is not going to turn things around. Central and local government really do need to get a handle on this. What makes matters even more sad is that it was only higher tax revenues from London that bailed out Gordon Brown at the last budget, yet billions of money is still being siphoned off to the rest of the country — I’m all for redistribution, but without investing just a little bit more of London’s money in London, the government will risk “killing the golden goose”…

Haven’t seen or heard of any Torys at all — i don’t think they regard Camberwell Green/Coldharbour Lane as prime Tory voting territory!