On Saturday evening between 9 pm and 11 pm, I had the great privilege of appearing on The Alex Armstrong Show on GBNEWS. I hurried home by catching two underground trains, the last of which arrived at North Greenwich about 11.35 pm, where I clambered off.
A concert at The O2 Arena was turning out, so the station was very busy.
As I made my way towards the ticket barriers, where law-abiding people like you and me present our tickets, our passes, our smartphones or whatever means of making payment we use, there was the unmistakable thud of fare evaders shouldering their way through the barriers.
I watched a number of lawbreakers do this with absolute impunity. There wasn’t a member of staff in sight.
It had been a long day, so I stood on the upward escalator instead of striding out in an effort to get my steps in.
Already fed up with witnessing rampant fare dodging, I cast my gaze towards the downwards escalator, and could not believe my eyes.
A continual stream of young people was inhaling from balloons as they made their way deeper into the station. They were sucking Nitrous Oxide into their tender lungs, a drug that was made illegal in 2023.
As I reached the top of the escalator, a landscape of rampant lawlessness unfolded in front of me.
Across the concourse of the station, large groups were gathered around, filling balloons of various colours from large tubes of the drug.
I navigated my way around these youngsters and made my way towards the car park. I passed group after group who were doing exactly the same.
Empty canisters were discarded at will. Police and security staff were noticeable by their complete and utter absence.
Concert traffic lengthened what should have been a short drive home, so I didn’t get my key in the front door until 12.15 am.
I decided to treat myself to a nightcap and to take a look at social media. A sickening video of two scumbags attacking a jeweller’s shop in the leafy London suburb of Richmond earlier that day was prominent, as were a number of news articles covering this all-too-familiar crime.
I couldn't believe what I witnessed just 19 days after Sadiq Khan assured me London was safe - Peter Bleksley
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Local shopkeepers and residents were bemoaning the proposed closure of yet another police front counter, and many pointed out how the closest police station to this crime had been sold off some years earlier.
Nineteen days before this crime was committed, the hugely dislikeable Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, had spouted that London was “one of the safest cities in the world”, and he had used comparisons with American cities to support his hollow argument.
Perhaps one of his highly paid advisors could point out to him that there are around 450 million firearms in the hands of the public in the USA. It never ceases to amaze me how many obviously stupid people rise to prominent positions in the UK.
To my huge delight, I hadn’t been home long when I heard our front door open. My two youngest sons, aged 23 and 24, had returned home from the pub.
They brought with them two of their friends, whom we have known and adored since they were puppies. Frozen pizzas were immediately popped into the oven, and cold beers were opened.
Immediately, the lads bemoaned the fact that one of their former classmates that they bumped into had displayed the depressingly familiar traits of a rampant cocaine user, namely the side-to-side jaw movement, the continual blathering of emotional nonsense, and the runny nose.
The story of a work colleague having their phone snatched from them in Soho the previous night quickly surfaced, and I told my tales of the underground station.
What became abundantly clear is that the London that Khan spouts forth about is not the London that so many of us experience.
If I spent my time traversing the city in a bomb and bullet-proof vehicle, with a team of bodyguards for company, and if I was surrounded by a team that told me what I wanted to hear, as opposed to what I need to hear, then I suppose I might become so detached from the everyday reality of life for Londoners that I might be daft enough to compare chalk with cheese.
Meanwhile, if you live in our capital city, get that burglar alarm, and don’t forget the CCTV.
Buy yourself a car immobiliser and a steering lock. And if you’re planning a visit to The Smoke, never leave your luggage unattended, do not flaunt your lovely handbag or watch, and as for your mobile phone, please take precautions.
By the way, a pint can easily cost you £7.50, and don’t get me started on the price of a large glass of red.