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A terrible waste of young lives
Mahir Osman |
• Another senseless, avoidable, fatal stabbing in
Camden on Saturday. And this time it is someone my son and
I know.
Mahir Osman was a lovely person who did not deserve to die
at the hands of a crowd of murderers.
We are failing our young in Camden. There is very little provision
for 15-18-year-olds in Camden, as your letters last week testified
– no clubs, no affordable sports facilities, no workshops,
no youth-only cafes. Imagine all the Olympic athletes that
are slipping through the net? What a waste!
Our youths are bored and bored equals targets for criminals.
ALISON and JACK CHARLTON
Arlington Road, NW1
• Three tragic murders have taken place in Camden
in the past two months.
I am acutely aware of the pain, heartache and fear every
death causes the family and friends of the victim. As Leader
of the council, I want to give my sympathies to all those
who have lost their son, daughter or friend, over the past
months.
These deaths cannot fail to touch all of us as citizens of
Camden. The council has and will continue to provide whatever
support we can to help the communities after these tragic
events. All have happened in different circumstances, across
nationalities and in different parts of the borough. What
unites them is a terrible waste of young lives.
The most recent death of a young Somali boy will shock many,
and most of all the Somali community themselves. I have spoken
to elders in the community and urge you all to support them
as well. If you were a witness to the murder, please help
the police bring the perpetrators to justice.
We know that a minority of boys are ruining their own and
others’ lives through mindless violence. We are working
with the police to provide a better alternative to crime –
through youth training and education programmes – and
taking out anti-social behaviour orders to set boundaries
of behaviour for the worst perpetrators. The police have also
taken action to prosecute where criminal activity is taking
place.
We must unite with all the families and communities who have
suffered these tragedies.
Cllr Raj Chada
Leader, Camden Council |
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