West Putney police are asking residents to join a public weapons sweep along the Putney Park Lane walkway this Saturday, in a visible sign that the ward’s Safer Neighbourhoods Team is responding to a run of weapons incidents in the area.
The walk takes place on 30 May, from 13:00 to 14:30. It starts on the Putney Park Lane Walkway and finishes at The Pleasance Park. PCSO Kordian Wojtowicz is leading the event. Participants will be briefed on what weapons look like and what to do if they find one. Disposable gloves are provided. Officers will also be on hand to discuss crime prevention and any concerns about the neighbourhood.
What’s been happening in the area
The sweep doesn’t come out of nowhere. In March, a machete gang robbed a cyclist in West Putney near Dover Park Drive, in what police have called a named-suspect investigation.
On 22 May, Inspector Paul James announced a suspect had been charged with 13 burglaries across Thamesfield, East Putney and West Putney wards; a push-dagger-style knife was recovered.
The same week as the sweep, Thamesfield’s SNT ran a free bike marking session at Putney Embankment with Raptor bikes on Friday 23 May. PCSO Eva Knedlova has called the event a success, with more June events planned.
Taken together, the two initiatives reflect a more active and publicly visible police approach than Thamesfield and West Putney have seen for some time. The picture in February, when vehicle crime prompted Thamesfield to reset its policing priorities, was markedly different. The knife, stolen goods and burglary arrest on 21 May is the clearest sign of that shift.
Anyone who finds a weapon on Saturday, or at any other time, should not touch it. Call 101 or report it at met.police.uk. To receive direct alerts from your ward’s SNT, register at metengage.police.uk.
