EXCLUSIVE: ‘If you are coming to Rainham to mug our children with knives, you can get out, we don’t want you here.’ Parents take to the street to protect their children from stabbings.

‘Rainham is a tight knit community, do not come here and attack our children’-Councillor Sue Ospreay. Knife crime starts to impact children’s education.

Angry mothers and fathers took to the streets of Rainham yesterday, Tuesday 6 February, to protect children from being mugged at knife point on the way home from school. The parents, led by Rainham ward Councillor Sue Ospreay, lined the streets around Harris Academy School, Lambs Lane South, following a string of knife point muggings in the area. The team spoke to children as they walked home to let them know they were there if they needed help and also advised them not to use their phone openly or walk through alleyways.

Three of the parents spoke exclusively to the Havering Daily:

“My daughter’s friend was mugged two weeks ago on her way home. They demanded he hand over his phone and described them as wearing balaclavas and face coverings, tracksuit bottoms and black puffer jackets.

“The teachers at the school are brilliant and all stand outside at the end of the day, but it is not their job to stop muggings.

“This has left my daughter scared. These attacks are happening in daylight, these teenagers just don’t care. I am angry now, most parents are angry now with what is going on. We need our children to have their phones with them on the way home from school so we know where they are.

“This is starting to impact their education as well as now my daughter is not going to intervention classes as they finish as 4pm and there are less teachers out on the street at that time.”

The children being mugged are as young as 13 years old and the attacks are going back over a four week period.

Another parent told the Havering Daily:

“My daughter is trying to re-establish her independence after Covid, now she is scared. We are tired of these muggings, tired of reading about stabbings.We know the teachers are doing everything they can, but it is not their job to stop these muggings. We need more police, we need to see the police on our streets as a visible presence. Something needs to be done.

“My daughter is anxious, she has stopped going to intervention classes as she is scared to come home later on her own. This is impacting our children’s mental health. These children suffered a great deal during the lock down periods and now, they are just starting to find their feet again.”

Another parent whose son they attempted to mug on the way home, told the Havering Daily:

“The incident happened in the same area last week. My son and his friends were walking home when three youths got off the bus and one shoulder barged my son. My son then shoved him back out the way when the youth then opened his jacket and showed my son that he had a knife in his trouser belt.

“They then took my son’s friend to one side and demanded he hand over his phone and another youth showed him a knife. I was so angry when my son told me that I jumped in my car and drove around the area to see if I could find them.

“As parents we are tired of this. We need more police on our streets as a deterrent. Our children are becoming easy pickings for people outside of the area.”

Yesterday, it is believed another mugging took place at lunch time by the same group of youths.

The parents, angered by what has been happening all lined the streets by Harris Academy School in a bid to deter the muggers and to protect children going home.

Councillor Sue Ospreay who is very well respected in her local community and stands side by side with them, led the team of parents yesterday afternoon.

She told the Havering Daily:

“Rainham is a tight knit community. If you are coming here to mug our children then GET OUT! You are not welcome here. We do not want you here. We are doing what we can to support our children and will keep doing that. Get out of Rainham now.”

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