A media briefing was held on Twickenham Green on Tuesday 24 August with Borough Commander Ian Edwards and Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Murphy, who is leading the inquiry into the murder of Amelie Delagrange on 19 August.

Chief Superintendent Edwards extended his thanks to the local community, particularly the people of Twickenham, for their tremendous support over the investigations into the death of the 22-year old French girl from serious head injuries following a fatal attack on Twickenham Green.

He expressed profound sympathies for Amelie's family and friends on their tragic loss and also concern for the impact from the incident on the local community and further afield.

"I want to reassure people that the borough is a safe place," Mr Edwards said. "There is on average only a single robbery a day across its 20 square miles and its 173,000 people. Even so that is unacceptable.

"However, it is far better than neighbouring boroughs and makes it a comparitively safe place to live, work and visit, notwithstanding this exceptional and shocking incident.

"It is the borough with the lowest violent crime record in the Met. We continue to believe we are amongst the safest places and we will continue to work to make it even safer. If we look at violent crime alone it has the lowest recorded number of events of any borough in London, and in comparison with the boroughs immediately around, our violent crime levels are about 50% of theirs - so we do enjoy a safe environment.

"But statistics alone are not the answer. The borough will continue to become better policed in the future. Three wards have already been designated Safer Neighbourhoods with enhanced levels of policing - one sergeant, two constables and PCSOs. There is a very realistic expectation of five more wards becoming Safer Neighbourhoods next year, financial provision being forthcoming.

"There are 25 PCSOs across the borough, some of whom are financed separately by the borough. Police work in partnership with the borough council, our communities, Transport for London and public transport operators, looking at the vulnerable locations and how to best police them. This could also mean extra CCTV and improved lighting as well as more policing."

See earlier article

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

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