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RICHES TO RAGS
Primrose Hill used to be A-list paradise – now it’s a ‘Neanderthal playground’ with sex in bushes & muggings, say locals
IT is the leafy north London enclave that became synonymous with wealth and excess thanks to the antics of Kate Moss, Jude Law and Liam Gallagher.
But today fed-up residents say you are more likely to bump into a thug wearing a hoodie than you are to an A-list celebrity in Primrose Hill, which has become a "Neanderthal campground".
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Following the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old schoolboy Harry Pitman on New Year's Eve, locals have told The Sun that they have been warning of a surge in violence and anti-social behaviour for three years.
Eleanor Sturdy chairs the Primrose Hill crime panel and says the area’s historic park can resemble a music festival some days as yobs take drugs and have sex in full view of members of the public.
She said: “It started during the pandemic when people realised it’s an open space that is difficult to keep secure.
“If someone has a firework, they can let it off in the park and by the time you’ve got through to the police, they’ve gone.
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“My husband and I live in a flat next to the park and we are regularly woken up at 1am by people playing music and letting off fireworks.
“In 2020, I was assaulted by one of two men who were using a huge speaker outside my window in the early hours of the morning.
“I opened my window and said, ‘Will you turn that music off?’ I expected an apology, but they said, ‘Come down and say that.’
“I went down and started filming them on my phone, which was a mistake.
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“One of them grabbed my phone and threw it across the road. He said some very rude things and then he grabbed me under my pyjamas.
“A very brave female police officer caught up with the man – who it turned out was 27 years old and employed - and rugby tackled him to the ground.
“After he was arrested, I spent months feeling anxious about the case and having to testify.
“But when we finally went to court a year later, it turned out the police and the CPS had not charged him in time and they had to let him go.
“Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who is our MP, personally apologised to me afterwards. He was appalled.
Now someone has been killed, it is a tragic vindication for those of us that have been worried about the situation – and warning that something terrible was going to happen – for years
Eleanor Sturdy
“This was during the early days of the pandemic when the park had become like a music festival with no security.
“People were dealing drugs and having sex in the bushes and weeing and pooing in them too.
“They started vandalising the local businesses and smashing their windows. They even broke into the wine shop and the bookstore, although they didn’t steal a single book.”
Royal Parks, who oversee the 60 acre site, has now applied for permission to install a permanent gate so it can be closed at night.
Eleanor says that those in favour of the move, like her, have been accused of being “posh” and out-of-touch, although she is at pains to point out that she does not own a garden or live in a huge house.
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Crime rates in Primrose Hill
ACCORDING to Metropolitan Police data, there were 1,364 reported crimes in Primrose Hill between November 2022 and 2023.
June was the month with the highest number of reported crimes last year, with 136 reported in total.
That broke down to 26 listed as 'other theft'; 24 vehicle crimes; 21 violence and sexual offences; and 65 in the 'all other crime' category.
The latest MET figures were from November last year when 114 crimes were committed.
They included 26 reports of anti-social behaviour; 22 of violence and sexual offences; 15 vehicle crimes; and, 51 listed as 'all other crime'.
Primrose Hill falls into the Borough of Camden, which recorded 35,658 crimes last year - an estimated 132 crimes per 1,000 people.
It's the second most dangerous borough in London and has a 60 per cent higher crime rate than the national average, according to CrimeRate.
They found the most prevalent types of recorded crime were anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences, and theft.
Neighbourhood group Primrose Hill Watch estimated 20,000 people gathered on the park’s summit to enjoy panoramic views of the New Year's Eve fireworks exploding above the London Eye.
Around 54 police officers were said to be on duty and a security team was also employed to screen revellers for weapons.
Two teenagers have since been arrested on suspicion of murder following the fatal stabbing of innocent football fan Harry, whose heartbroken family live in Tottenham.
Eleanor added: “Now someone has been killed, it is a tragic vindication for those of us that have been worried about the situation – and warning that something terrible was going to happen – for years.
“We’ve been reporting serious crimes for three years now and they have been patting us on the heads and saying, ‘Don’t worry.’”
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'Hand hacked off'
Property prices have remained resilient in the area despite the so-called ‘Primrose Hill set’ - that included actor Law and his then-wife Sadie Frost - moving on and its reputation being sullied by the recent violence.
Locals claim that a German tourist had his hand hacked by a machete-wielding mugger trying to steal his phone in December 2022 and there have been numerous incidents of flashing and anti-social behaviour.
Wealthy celebrities have moved to gated properties that offer greater security in nearby Highgate and Hampstead, we were told.
Jenny McCririck, the widow of late Channel Four racing pundit John McCririck, is one notable resident who is staying put.
But she added: “I don’t like to go there after dark now because you don’t know who is lurking around the corner.”
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Park 'like nightclub'
Company director Ryan Murray, 50, blames London Mayor Sadiq Khan for the knife crime epidemic that has spilled over into Primrose Hill.
Harry was the 21st teenager to meet a violent death in London last year, 18 of whom were stabbed.
Ryan said: “There is no way Khan is going to get my vote. His disdain for the police is well documented and he’s more interested in being woke than doing what is best for London.”
American writer Janet Jones, 60, compares what is happening now to the 1992 LA riots, which took place after Rodney King was arrested and beaten by police.
She said: “I’ve lived here for 12 years and it was during lockdown that word got out that this was the place to come and party.
“It became like a nightclub up on the hill. It was dramatically different to the park we had known before and it was dangerous to walk around here because of all the broken glass and litter.
“They were vandalising shops and graffitiing everything including this William Blake poem inscribed into the concrete here.
“There were different factions coming to the park and it was more depressing than anything as it became like a Neanderthal campground.
“I don’t want permanent gates on the park because this has always been a special place and I want it to stay that way.
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“But more attention needs to be paid to youth violence. I was in LA when the riots happened and this reminds me of Rodney King asking, ‘Why can’t we all just get along?’”
In a joint statement from The Royal Parks and The Metropolitan Police, The Sun was told there is currently a "heightened police presence" and additional patrols in and around the park following Harry's death.
They added: "Following the tragic stabbing that took place on Primrose Hill on New Year’s Eve, we want to reassure the local community and park visitors that the safety of everyone who visits the park is paramount."
We were told there was no police intelligence to suggest "a repeat of what happened" is "likely" and "significant arrests" had been made.
They added: "We take the views of residents extremely seriously. The safety of everyone who visits the park is paramount."
In response to concerns about concerns about crime in the area, The Sun was told the views of residents were taken "extremely seriously" and the local community had been surveyed about their views.
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In October, Royal Parks applied for permission to install permanent gates at park entrances. They await the decision of Camden Council.
Anyone with information about the killing of Harry Pitman is asked to contact the investigation team on 020 8785 8099. They can also or speak to local police officers. To remain anonymous contact the independent charity on 0800 555 111.
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