Victim of racist attack in Willesden claims Brent Police are lazy
Protestors oustide Wembley Police Station (Pic credit: Jan Nevill) - Credit: Archant
Man, 21, says officers lost vital CCTV footage which could have traced the perpentrators
A man who claims he was the victim of a vicious racist attack has slammed the police calling them ‘lazy’ with the investigation.
The 21-year-old victim, of Moroccan descent, was attacked by a gang of white men near Willesden Bus Garage on the High Road at 5.27am on Sunday, June 9.
A witness called out to the men and they drove away along Walm Lane.
The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, was hospitalised with bruising to his eyes and cheeks and later had a broken tooth removed.
He said: “They (the police) don’t give value to what happened.
“My attackers punched me and started hitting me and I fell on the floor.
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“They are fascists. England is a free country for everyone.”
Police have faced criticism from the victim and the community for not initially logging the attack as racist but the incident has since be reclassified.
In a further twist the victim claims police lost vital CCTV footage which could have indentified his perpetrators.
He said: They (police) don’t give enough attention.
“It is not a good thing. The (police) are lazy in dealing with this.”
Last Thursday, around 12 people staged a protest outside Wembley Police Station in support of the victim.
Detective Superintendent Simon Rose from Brent Police met with the demonstrators and after a lengthy discussion, no complaint was made.
However, Robin Sivapalan of Brent Trades Union Council, who witnessed the attack, was among the demonstrators and he said he will be making a complaint to the police over their handling of the attack.
A police spokesman said: “At the point of reporting, and when police subsequently spoke with the victim, he did not make any allegations of any racial comments and is unwilling to assist police with our enquiries.
“Due to the subsequent suggestions that this attack may have had racial connotations, we have re-classified the crime and it is being investigated as a racial incident.”
He said that extensive enquiries were being pursued including CCTV.“Despite several attempts to ensure that this footage is retained, we understand that due to time constraints, this footage has since been deleted,” he said.
“Other CCTV enquiries have continued.”
Anyone with information should call the Violent Crime Unit on 020 8733 3709 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
