WESTMINSTER BRIDGE MATTERS!
London is one of the safest cities in Europe, however like major cities in Europe, tourists are considered easy targets and are often targeted by pickpockets, phone thieves, and scammers.
There have been continuing issues on Westminster Bridge which for various reasons, those responsible for the Bridge have been ineffective in dealing with.
Unlicensed street traders operate daily including food vendors along with illegal street gambling, costumed character scammers including rose sellers who can be persistent and aggresssive. Ice cream vans operating illegally, unlicensed photographers and pedicabs (Rickshaws) some of whom will scam tourists and ignore recent changes in licensing designed to protect the public.
Volunteers aim to raise awareness via crime prevention advice and deter opportunistic crime ulising volunteers in high visibility clothing to help deter crime, provide a friendly face, and help victims with reporting crime along with plain clothes volunteers to spot pickpockets and illegal gambling (cups and ball scam).
The Bridge has recently attracted vigilante content creators providing a regular source of easy content for entertainment purposes along with unprofessional auditors (content creators) preying on vulnerable persons and encouraging violence.
There are also road safety issues on Westminster Bridge with fast cyclists using the cycle lane. Our volunteers use whistles to warn tourists who are walking or standing in the cycle lanes and are often looking the wrong way, in the UK we drive on the left hand side of the road which is the opposite to most other countries.
Ice cream vans are not permitted to stop on the bridge, however there are often several ice cream vans trading on the bridge causing danger to the public who are standing in the cycle lanes and causing an obstruction to traffic.
People also use the cycle lanes to crouch down and take photographs of Big Ben and can be oblivious to the cyclists, e bikes and escooters heading towards them.
Whilst the police and the local authorities do what they can with limited resources and increasing demands upon them, we feel it is important for the community to provide support in areas which may not be a priority for the police or local authorities but can have a profound impact on victims of what may be seen as petty crime but have a devastating impact on victims and not least the affect on the reputation of London as a venue for tourists wishing to explore our beautiful city.
"Little things matter".
We will publish various blog posts along the way to raise awareness of what we are doing and any developments.
Presently we are on the Bridge at least one to two days a week subject to availabilty of volunteers and competing demands with other street crime related projects. For further information, please get in touch.
