Spring has arrived, crawling over the finish line in a blur of green, writes Will McCallum, Newington Green.
Drooping willows along the Lea look less weedy, fleshed out by thousands of yellow-green buds. It will be some time before the impact of its delay is understood, before we’ve tallied up the birds and the blossom; a while before we can see which visiting fauna return to us from across the sea.
It is the time of year to begin the British Trust for Ornithology’s survey work – each square kilometre of Hackney has been allocated to a volunteer whose job it is to record the birdlife (and mammals and butterflies too if they can) that live there in as methodical a manner as they can. I have been allocated one at the north end of the borough towards Tottenham. If you happen to be commuting to work or going for a run in the early morning and see birdwatchers, binoculars in hand, walking extremely slowly down a nondescript avenue, then they are likely also volunteering.
Surveys like this help us understand the ways our environment is changing – the number of birds relates directly to the number of insects, the health of the trees and plantlife, the changing climate. They are also a testament to the goodwill of thousands of volunteers who come together across neighbourhoods, giving their time to contribute their knowledge and observations to build a national picture of the state of our wildlife. If you’re interested in taking part in any of their other surveys, or want to bag a patch for next year, find out more at bto.org.
Unless you share the US National Rifle Association’s belief that Clint Eastwood films are documentaries, nobody will be surprised that the police fired 13 times to injure the person they targeted in a residential street (Gazette, March 22, p3), write Mary Pimm and Nik Wood, Gore Road, Hackney.
After all, Southwark Cathedral is still waiting for compensation for the damage caused by strays during the London Bridge action against terrorists in June last year. Such a level of accuracy from specialist firearms officers faced with a target who is escaping or resisting is really rather good, because hand guns are unstable and long guns are unwieldy. It is only when the target is immobile, such as those in the grip of mental health episodes, such as Dean Joseph in Islington or James Fox in Enfield, or those constricted by sitting in cars such as Jermaine Baker in Wood Green, that they can be killed with a single shot.
Fortunately this victim hasn’t died of his wounds. But this does mean that there will not be an inquest with a jury to bring a truly independent determination of what happened. The record of the newly re-named Independent Office of Police Conduct, the long standing Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police’s own Directorate of Professional Standards in finding truth, justice and accountability for the victim’s family is such a poor one that confidence in them is at an all-time low.
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