In a joint statement, the Reverend Wesley Daniel, of Peckham Methodist Church, the Reverend Nicholas Elder of St George's Parish Church, Father Paul Hendricks, of Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, the Reverend Gareth Wilde of Peckham Park Road Baptist Church, and the Reverend Inderjit Bhogal, President of the Methodist Conference, said they would also be ready to receive information which will be treated in the strictest confidence. The clergymen extended their condolences to Damilola's family, describing his death as tragic. All children have the right to come and go in peace and without fear. This situation has brought with it a catalogue of events that has gained our community a reputation unworthy of the people who live and work here. The majority of people who live in Peckham live here because they enjoy it rather than because it is a haven for criminal activity.
Criminal activity is no greater or lesser here than it is in many other places.