• MUCH has been made of the impact upon small, independent, businesses in central London by rising costs and fuel crisis.

Every customer counts as never before. Sadly St Giles, Cambridge Circus and Phoenix Street is rapidly becoming a “no-go” area owing to a plague of street thievery, vagrancy, and criminality.

Our customers and visitors to what should be a glittering part of the West End face running a gauntlet of criminal activity wholly ignored by what passes for policing.

If it’s not reported, it’s not counted; if it’s not counted it’s not worth any resources; or so would seem to be the attitude of those supposedly in authority.

They have the audacity to charge businesses a late-night levy for the provision of additional resources. Yet should a police officer be spotted on foot in our neighbourhood one can only presume them to be lost.

What are we paying for? Who is in charge? Does anyone care? Is this the best Camden can do? For shame.

KEN WRIGHT
Resident and business owner
Phoenix Street, WC2