Market traders remain resilient but call for better communication from police following tragic stabbing

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter

On a cold and bright morning, you cannot avoid the hustle and bustle at the busy corner of Church Street and Surrey Street in Croydon town centre.

The fatal stabbing of 22-year-old Rijkaard Salu Siafa just after 6pm last Friday shook the local community and forced the market into a two-day lockdown while police scoured the crime scene.

While tributes have been paid to Rijkaard, market regulars feel security needs to be tightened up to stop tragedies like this from recurring.

Market trader and community activist Jose Joseph said: “We’re scared about these things. We all have children.

“People think this a bad place. There are mostly ladies and children here, they need protection.”

Mr Joseph, who has had his stall on the market for the past 15 years, said that despite his respect for police officers working in Croydon, he felt they could have better communicated with residents after the incident.

He said: “Three times I asked the police when can I move my boxes from the scene, and they said they will let me know. When they eventually left they didn’t say anything and people started taking my stuff.

“There were people with small children who couldn’t get out to buy anything during the cordon. If they had any humanity they would have come to tell people they could leave.”

Fairfield ward councillor Ria Patel is a regular visitor to the market, and said this isn’t the first time the market regulars have felt ignored.

She said: “People felt quite scared over the weekend, but because it’s Croydon people jump back to it.

“We have two CCTV cameras on the road but they rotate around to focus on Church Street half the time. I know some traders really wanted one in the middle so it could rotate around and see everything but that hasn’t happened.”

Outside of police controls, the responsibility of securing the market falls on the local BID rangers, who walk up and down the street in pairs. BID rangers are un-uniformed officers trained in de-escalation.

However, Cllr Patel, who is also a Green Party candidate for the London Assembly, said that the walkway rising above the market was often used as a drug stash spot and getaway for would-be criminals.

Surrey Street regular Kelly Gater believes the causes of crime in the area go beyond policing. She said: “What went down doesn’t represent Croydon, it just breaks my heart.

“Croydon has the youth and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t get what they need. We can’t keep relying on churches to do the community work.

“Imagine if we opened one big place for the youth in the town centre. You would actually have a place where you could keep an eye on them.”

In a statement published on Saturday, Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lee said: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Rijkaard’s family and friends who are coming to terms with his death following this shocking incident.

“I would also like to thank those members of the public who rushed to help Rijkaard in the immediate aftermath. I would urge anyone who saw events unfold and has yet to contact police to do immediately.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote CAD6022/12Apr. You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Croydon council was approached for comment but failed to respond in time for publication.

Pictured top: Jose Joseph outside his fruit and veg stall in Surrey Street Market (Picture: Harrison Galliven)