The family of murdered schoolgirl Arsema Dawit have demanded to know why police failed to protect her from a stalker who threatened to kill her. The 15-year-old was stabbed up to 10 times in a frenzied attack in the lift of the block of flats where she lived with her family in south London. Her family told police just weeks ago that Arsema had been assaulted by an obsessive man. But they said officers told them there was nothing they could do about the man who met her at an Eritrean church where she was a member of the choir. Scotland Yard confirmed that police received a complaint on April 30 that a man aged 29 or 30 had assaulted Arsema in a McDonald's restaurant in south London on April 16 and made threats to kill her. An officer spoke to the girl at her school on May 12 but she claimed to have "no knowledge" of the incident. Police contacted Arsema's mother a week later and the investigation was still ongoing when she was murdered on Monday. One source close to the inquiry said officers were not aware of a wider campaign of harassment against the schoolgirl. A 21-year-old man remained in custody after he was arrested on a footbridge over the River Thames as he threatened to kill himself, police said. Arsema was the 16th teenager to be killed in the capital this year and the first female victim. The attack came days after Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Ian Blair vowed to do everything in his power to combat knife crime. Arsema's body - still clothed in her pink and blue school uniform - was found slumped in a lift at Matheson Lang Gardens on Monday afternoon. The girl, who celebrated her 15th birthday three days ago, had been subjected to a horrific attack and left for dead as she walked home from school.
This is why if anyone in my family is ever threatened, I would inform the police. Then I would find the person, and calmly explain to him exactly what would happen if I or anyone in my family saw them ever again. If they were ever seen again, I would proceed to follow through on my promise. My family will not be threatened. If they are I will protect them.
From reading this, the police were doing what they should be doing. The girl didn't help them with the McDonalds incident. They apparently didn't have all the info of other incidents. It is a tragic thing but how can the family blame the police. They were still investigating but if they don't get help (all the info) how can they do their job properly. Dom I will try to make sure you don't have to rush home from China to protect us.
The police don't listen. Well, in my experience. Our old home was subject to numerous attacks by chavs. One time windows were smashed with bricks. Another time, my dad's car was subject to the brick attack. Both times we called the police. The first, a police officer turned up a week later, and complained that we'd cleaned up the damage before he could see it. The second, we were actually told that unless we were in imminent danger of personal harm, not to call them. It was, frankly, disgusting. So there is a brief summary of why I have no respect for or faith in the British police.
Oh....so tradgic. I honestly do not understand the law in that case...must be a universal issue concerning the laziness of the police, Jacksonville is divided because of the same type of concerns. Sometimes, however, it just seems that bad things are going to happen in spite of police involvement...or the lack of it.
right now in Toronto the biggest city in Canada they are having a lot of gun related crime. now for the most part and this is common knowledge it is black gangs going after black gangs. BUT the thing is the police cannot profile the crimes since that is classed as racist. So the intelligent mayor is now trying to close two gun ranges on public land so the law abiding hand gun owners will have no place to practice and one of them is on the Olympic shooting team for bejing. Now how is this going to stop the gangs from shooting gangs? Also the black community will not come forward as witness' since they would then be targeted by the shooters and since they police are labeled and charged with racism if they so much as try to arrest a suspect it is a never ending battle. I do not know the solution but maybe profiling should be allowed. Maybe the gun owners should not have to suffer. Maybe the real criminals should be made to take the punishment whatever it is as long as it does not involve a slap on the wrist. The cops are fighting a loosing battle and yes they are getting fed up with it and becoming lazy. It is time for the honest people to do what is right and give them back some of the power we have taken away.
There are good cops, and good departments. There are also some very bad ones, who forget why they wear the uniform in the first place. Or remember, but it's the wrong reasons.
Well said Lessa. Well said. I don't think we can ever really know what they are faced with and how they must feel...they do at times, get crap from all sides.
