Police have said they will put extra officers in Burgess Park this weekend in response to rumours of a large knife fight being organised by local gangs.
Posts on social media suggest there could be a ‘postcode war’ on the park on Thursday, June 2, with local parents warning others to keep their children away. It is unclear if there actually will be a fight, or if this is just a rumour.
In response, police have said that they will put “a visible policing presence” in Burgess Park, as well as other possible hotspots across Southwark and Lambeth over the weekend.
In a statement, local officers for Southwark said: “Police are aware of information circulating on certain social media channels regarding possible violence in the Burgess Park area of SE5 on Thursday, 2 June.
“This has been fed into our local policing plan which covers the entire bank holiday weekend and a visible policing presence will be seen in Burgess Park, and other key areas across Lambeth and Southwark over the course of the weekend.
“Our priority is to ensure our communities can celebrate the Jubilee weekend in [a] safe and secure environment.
“Anyone intent on committing criminal activity will be identified and dealt with appropriately.”
Sayce Holmes-Lewis, a mentor for young people who runs the Mentivity organisation in Southwark, said he would be going to Burgess Park on Thursday to stop young people from hurting each other, and encouraged others to do the same.
