East London residents say they have raised concerns 'for years' about public safety in their park after a man was stabbed to death last month. A 20-year-old man was stabbed to death in Plashet Park, East Ham, on Saturday, July 27, after a fight. Two teenage boys were also attacked but survived, but no arrests have been made yet.
In the wake of the murder, those who live close to the park have launched a petition and have demanded Newham Council make the park safer by installing working CCTV and a park warden who can lock up and empty the park at the end of the day. READ MORE: Hundreds sign Tower Hamlets petition against imposing tougher rules on dogs and owners A council spokesperson said that the park has four working CCTV cameras and two older ones are in the process of being removed. They said the council is carrying out an assessment for any further improvements that can be made to the park and is looking at bidding for external funding.
Zi Parker, chair of Plashet Ward panel who helped to launch the petition, claimed residents have been asking the council for a number of years to make safety a priority in the park. Ms Parker said: "It should be a really beautiful [park], it should be safe and clean. The park team does a beautiful job of keeping it clean, they are constantly litter-picking and the planting is beautiful.
"It’s really well cared for, but the council is just not interested in stopping people behaving badly there." She added: "The park is a place where peop.