Council leader ‘incredibly worried’ about knife crime in Peterborough following train attack
Peterborough City Council leader Dr Shabina Qayyum has written a letter to the county’s police and crime commissioner following the horrific train attack in Huntingdon at the weekend.
Passengers travelling from Doncaster to London were attacked in a mass stabbing on a train on Saturday, November 4, which resulted in many people needing hospital treatment.
Anthony Williams, 32, from Peterborough was subsequently charged with 11 counts of attempted murder, one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of possession of a bladed article.
Police have since confirmed that they have linked Williams with a further three knife related offences in Peterborough.
Cllr Dr Qayyum sent a letter to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough police and crime commissioner Darryl Preston on November 4 asking if he would join councillors and council officers in discussing how to prevent knife crime in the city going forward.
She wrote: “The events over the last weekend as you are aware have affected our city both personally and emotionally. Peterborough is a city that is both hurting and healing at the same time.
“I know you will join me in thanking the signallers, the wonderful LNER staff, including Alan Johnson, the driver of the train and Samir Zitouni, who remains in hospital. Without the actions of these men, many more could have been injured; we owe them a great deal for not thinking of their own welfare to protect others.
“I have already written to thank the constabulary for their sterling efforts and the magnificent operation that was executed to apprehend the suspect and prevent further casualties. This effort must be commended.
“We are fortunate to have good relations with our constabulary, where such a coordinated operation was carried out in an exemplary fashion.
“The residents of Peterborough, councillors and I, as the leader of the council, are incredibly worried about the increase in knife crime and safety in our city, both before and in the aftermath of this event, and the preventative measures that must be undertaken to address these issues in the run-up to Christmas and moving forward.
“It has not been brought to my attention that you have communicated with us in the aftermath of the incident, and I wanted to reach out to you instead.
“Our council officers and teams have been working non-stop since the weekend on multidisciplinary board meetings to ensure that these conversations explore the mitigations that must be put in place to protect our city and its people.
“It is imperative that you are part of those conversations and, over and above the Police and Crime Panel, with such an event having taken place in the backdrop over the weekend, which has gained national attention, I wish to invite you to a meeting where we can discuss how we take this task forward, together.
“I will leave no stone unturned in ensuring our city is safe, and I hope that you can contribute towards that endeavour.”
Mr Preston confirmed he would be responding to Cllr Qayyum’s letter in due course.
He issued the following statement on November 4: “As police and crime commissioner, it is my job to hold the chief constable to account for the effectiveness of the constabulary.
“I do this knowing that I cannot interfere in operational policing. The horrific events which unfolded on a train in Cambridgeshire on Saturday evening resulted in multiple casualties.
“My thoughts continue to be with the victims who experienced this terrifying attack, their family, their friends, and the wider community.
“I would further want to commend the actions of so many brave individuals who responded to the events of Saturday evening in Huntingdon, including the heroic train staff, emergency services, medical teams at Addenbrooke’s hospital and all those behind the scenes, putting victims first while securing evidence.
“There continues to be a live criminal investigation into what happened on Saturday night led by the British Transport Police.
“Cambridgeshire Constabulary has provided updates on the events locally, including possible earlier sightings of the suspect and further offences which may be linked to the named suspect.
“As is standard practice in these cases, the constabulary referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) who has now confirmed that it will not be investigating the constabulary’s actions in the lead up to the event.
“As a result of the IOPC decision, I have today formally asked the Chief Constable Simon Megicks to conduct a thorough review of the events which occurred prior to the tragic events of Saturday evening.
“The outcome of this review will be reported through my holding to account meetings with the chief constable and made publicly available.
“To be clear, the ongoing criminal investigation led by British Transport Police, along with ongoing support for the victims of these abhorrent crimes must be the priority, ensuring justice is served.”
Cllr Qayyum said that Peterborough residents would now “naturally feel anxious” on forms of transport leading up to Christmas and asked Mr Preston to “join us at those tables where conversations are being had”.