They were sick of dealing taking place in public, and of discarded needles lying about the place posing a threat to their children. For once, the police turned up on the estate in force. Sixty officers were called in to tackle the mob, arrest a dozen troublemakers and escort the dealers to safety. While we recognise the residents concerns and are willing to work with them, it is clearly not appropriate for them to engage in this type of behaviour, a police spokesman warned afterwards. And I agree.
Vigilante behaviour is the start of a very slippery and dangerous slope.
If the police had acted sooner to sort out the drugs menace on the Oxmoor estate, there would have been no need for the residents to riot. If the police had acted to protect Bill Clifford from the tearaways who were making his life such a misery, he would have had no need to try to see off the yobs with a toy pistol and would be alive now, enjoying the rest of his days in the peace which should be everyone s right. The police are undermanned. There is no doubt about that. They need a huge boost to their resources and I for one would have no objection to paying extra taxes to help fund it.