Dreadful Murder of Amelie Delagrange

Written by Vincent Cable MP and published in Online Exclusive on Mon 6th Sep 2004

The dreadful murder of Amelie Delagrange on Twickenham Green has put everyone on edge and brought back to the surface the anxiety felt, especially in Hampton, last year after the death of Marsha McDonnell.

The local police are anxious to reassure the public that we live in a safe area. It is certainly true that the overall crime rate in our borough is the lowest in London. Indeed the fact that we live in a generally law abiding community is what makes the crime so shocking.

Clearly, with a possible serial killer on the loose, many people are very anxious, especially women, whose work and other commitments require them to walk in badly lit, lonely, parts of Twickenham late in the evening. The idea of a Prime Suspect plot being lifted from the TV screen into our own community is a chilling one.

We can all take some obvious precautions, not least being alert, keeping to well populated paths and not wearing headphones. The police must also provide extra patrols in and around Twickenham to provide public reassurance and, with local police numbers now rising a slump in the 1990's, the capacity should be there.

But we must be realistic that patrols will not deter or catch a serial killer. That is the work of specialist detectives who have to be methodical and may not come up with a quick result.

Let us also remember the victim, who sadly died far from her home and family. As a society we generally give little help and support to murder victims' families as I have discovered through my casework. I would hope that a suitable memorial is created on Twickenham Green for Amelia. The many flowers there suggest that many residents want her to be remembered.