Crime and Safety

Of a night, before our son was born, wed often walk along the river, and we went down Barge House Alley the kids used to call it Bar Jelly and when you got to the end you went up steps, there was a little platform and there was the wooden stairs which went down to the beach. When weve walked down there, someone suddenly flashed a light, What are you doing? And it was some detectives down there, and they were watching the middle of the river for pirates. In those days in the middle of the river they used to store barges the river was more of a commercial river then that it is now, and people would steal from the barges. Now technically, these people are pirates. It sounds daft But it was a genuine - looking for pirates.

You know, years ago people could be a bit vicious, you know. It was very rough.

There was a few sort of villains, a few villains round here. The Stamford Arms which is in Stamford Street at the corner of Broadwall, is reputed that the Great Train Robbery was planned and worked out from there, and a few of the naughty boys who lived round here like Buster Edwards Hes died now. One of the nicest fellows youve ever met. Ill tell you that for nothing, hes one of the nicest fellows youve ever met.

we always used to say they [the dockers] always disappeared with the goods down the leg of their trousers. They always tied the bottom of their trousers up. There used to be security people on the gates and theyd always tapped them as they came out to see if anything rattled and youd find loads of beef down the leg of their trousers.

Thieving. Well, I mean, when times were bad and people [dockers] had families and they had children they made sure their family never starved. I could tell you a lot of funny stories, but I darent Although most of them, theyre brown bread now.

Years ago we always belonged to the Lambeth Estate Company, they were the private owners of Roupell Street, Whittlesea Street and Theed Street. Mr Powsey his name was, but he used to come over every quarter and he used to take all the rents. But then of course, you see years ago you could walk about with plenty of money and nobody ever touched you, did anything to you. Nowadays the insurance men wont even carry any money, I mean you always have to send insurance now. Times were different years ago.

We didnt have a lot of money years ago, but we were far happier, you could go out at night time, you didnt have any fear, you didnt have to go in and lock your door. People used to leave their doors open all day long, or else theyd have the key hanging inside in the letter box on a piece of string. Everybodyll tell you that.

what now is the Action Centre, well that used to be our library years ago. That was a good library. It had the childrens part and then the womens part, and the men never were allowed in that library where the children were. They always had their part right the way through, they used to go and sit in there and read all the newspapers, they used to have the newspapers delivered there every day. You see, the older men they never mixed, they werent allowed to mix with the children, not like they are today You werent afraid, not years ago.

Years ago nobody had an indoor toilet and nobody had a proper bathroom, and your neighbour never had any more than what you did, so nobody used to pinch anything from one another. Its true. Not like they do today Well I suppose, actually it probably is a lot better than what it was years ago. It looks quite nice round here and everything else, and its rehoused ever such a lot of people, which is a good thing I suppose. Im quite happy round here. But I really wouldnt want to have gone out of the area cos Ive always lived round here all my life.

from Friday night until Monday morning, the kids could play in the street Because there was so few vehicles at Roupell Street and places like that, that the cars stuck to the main roads, and few people had cars anyway - were talking about in the 60s, and very early 70s, and the kids used to literally play in the street. A car came along, they got out the way and the car went on. It sounds like the 30s, but Im talking the late 60s, early 70s.

I mean, just next door to us weve got Millroy Walk, weve got a few shops there. I was getting a newspaper the other day, and there was about four, five boys, and theyd obviously been playing rugger They said, Come on, quick! Wed better get out of this area. Wed be beaten up in three minutes! I thought, Where do you come from? you know. You dont hear of anything like that.

This is the least violent area, Im sure, in London. You never hear of muggings. Mind you, weve got a camera on every corner.