Powis Street in Woolwich closed by police after reported group fight
A Section 60 stop and search power has been implemented across Woolwich tonight after a fight on Powis Street earlier this afternoon.
Police tapped off the street closing shops just before 4pm stretching from from an area near Halifax and General Gordon Square up towards Poundland.
Three men have been arrested.
The Section 60 runs until 6am tomorrow morning.
This is the Woolwich that some think will attract quality businesses.
People want change in Woolwich so it does not remain the down trodden area it has been allowed to come over several decades of neglect. Woolwich first started going in to decline in the 1970’s and 1980’s and has continued ever since.
Decent people living in and around Woolwich have had enough as other residents around the Borough that have to come to Woolwich. The area is rife with anti social behaviour, street drinkers people sstopping you asking for money or hanging around in larger groups.
I have female colleagies who are petrified to walk to and from Woolwich Arsenal Station through Woolwich and particular General Gordon Square in the summer let alone the winter when it is dark..
Until the Council start gerting a lot tougher on the anti social behaviour and the Met Police increase stop and serach and section 60 notices these incidents will contiunue to rise while Woolwich is allowed to slide in to even further decline.
Trying to upgrade and improve areas is what regeneration is all about.
I am not sure high end businesses will open in Woolwich however, i do like to see empty buildings brought back in to use as these can also blight an area.
So lets all try to work together to make Woolwich and other areas safe for all.
Whilst Woolwich used to be a thriving shopping area, it has always been rough. Greenwich council should have concentrated on improving the conditions of the predominately poor and working class inhabitants rather than importing wholesale people who are not interested in the town.
I agree with you there anonymous201481,
A part of the problem with Woolwich is it has a lot of anti social behaviour, street drinkers, drug takers and gang crime mixed with high levels of unemployment.
A lot more needs to be done to help local residents including more training opportunities so people can learn new skills for the modern workforce especially around IT, Digital Services and Administration (as more people can now work from home),
Also new training skills in Construction etc so people can learn a new life long trade so they can move back in to employment or self employment.when trained.
Firms long ago gave up on apprenticeships in favour of cheap labour from the EU and elsewhere. That has proved to be a shortsighted policy as this country faces a huge skills gap now that the foreign workforce has more or less disappeared.
Persuading buinesses to invest in training people was always an uphill task and the pandemic has made everything that more uncertain.