A community in an area of Harlow has been left shaken after a kidnapping in the town centre may have led to an attempted murder which happened in Staple Tye this week. An attack in Harlow’s Staple Tye on Tuesday January 7, has left locals “unsurprised” but also “terrified”, some say, with some considering leaving the area for the safety of their children.
A 32 year-old man remains in a life threatening condition. Police have released a statement saying that they have arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of kidnap and attempted murder. He remains in police custody.
A member of staff at a local shop, Shabaz Khan, 34, told EssexLive: “England is a safe country, but this gives a really bad impression. It was shocking,” he said. “It felt like something on TV, but it was real life.”
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The problem with crime in the area is very real for many other locals. One mother, Sharni Morgan, 33, said, “I’m just worried for my children’s future. There’s so much stuff going on these days in this town. It’s not going to get any better. It’s just going to get worse. It just goes to show that it doesn’t have to be in the dark. It could be any time, at any place”.
The attack on a 32-year-old man in broad daylight has left the community terrified for the children who use the cycle path to travel to the local secondary school, Stewards Academy. The attack happened at 4.20pm, which left some parents worried that one day crime in the area will affect their own families.
(Image: Laura Fidler/Reach PLC)
Mr Drew, the Headteacher at Stewards Academy commented: “We obviously share the concerns of all our parents/carers and the wider community for the safety of our students on their journeys between school and home following the awful incident this week.
“If you visit Stewards at the start of everyday you will see senior staff outside school in high visibility tops welcoming our young people in and those same staff supervising the end of the day whilst our students wait for their transport home.
“We also work closely with the local police and share information between us regarding any concerns there is in the area so we or they can take whatever action is needed to protect our students. As servants of this community we are always willing to listen to and work with any organisation that can improve the safety of our students and will continue to do so.”
Despite this, another parent, whose son attends Stewards Academy, James, 39, shared, “It makes me worry, because of my son. He’s 14 but I have to pick him up to make sure he’s safe. If he’d had a detention at school, he could have been here when that happened.”
Michael, 33, told EssexLive that after living in the area for 28 years, he is considering taking drastic action, following the news of the latest attack. “It’s typical for Harlow. It’s got to the point where I’m thinking of moving out of Harlow for the safety of my child.”
(Image: Laura Fidler/Reach PLC)
One man, who did not want to be named, shared some sympathy for those caught up in the attack. He said: “Some people become more aggressive because at home, no one can give them guidance to help them.”
His wife, a former resident of Harlow, told Essex Live: “Since Covid, really nothing has been the same. It’s changed quite a lot. People are more aggressive, less tolerant. People have changed. It’s not just Harlow. It’s all over the country. But, you’ve got school children from Stewards walking this way at that time. That’s really not good. In the past you could walk, you could cycle in the daytime with no worries, but it’s a different world now. It’s changed.”
(Image: Laura Fidler/Reach PLC)
Elena Osipovs, 44, who has a young daughter, agrees. Although the crime in the area is “commonplace”, she was concerned about how it is escalating. She said: “I’m scared because it’s the path that we use daily. It makes it more scary that it happened in the daytime. It’s so frightening. I feel unsafe walking here. I’ve lived in this area for ten years and there is always something happening. It gets scarier and scarier. I hope we won’t be affected by this one day.”
Local businessman, James Flack, 34, a hairdresser at The Chop’in’ Shop, grew up in the area. He said: “I’m not surprised anymore, to be honest. It’s all the time. Growing up in Harlow, watching all the crime, the kids, the drink, the drugs, everything else that goes on. It’s not really a surprise. Seeing the police down here is a normal thing these days.”
(Image: Laura Fidler/Reach PLC)
James believes that people have become desensitised to the crime in the area. He shared: “Unfortunately, the people living in this area are people who are struggling for money, so crime ends up being their way. Now no one bats an eyelid. It’s just another attack.”