It is one of London’s trendiest and most upmarket neighbourhoods, with stunning views of the capital and streets lined with luxury homes and hangouts attracting Hollywood, supermodel and rock’n’roll royalty.
Yet the long-privileged district of Primrose Hill is now riven with division over fears about rising crime including phone thefts, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour – and with a potential new flashpoint looming on the horizon.
Emergency plans have been drawn up for how to handle New Year’s Eve, amid concerns that crowds will continue to flock to the top of the hill overlooking the Thames to take in the capital’s annual fireworks display.
The official message being sent out by the Royal Parks, which runs the 62-acre Grade II listed green space rising above affluent north London streets, is that people should stay away that night.
It comes after tragedy struck at last year’s event, when 16-year-old Harry Pitman was stabbed to death with a hunting knife at the top of Primrose Hill as people gathered to watch fireworks.
A 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with murder but an Old Bailey trial ended in October with a jury unable to reach a verdict. A retrial is expected to begin next October.
Local figures, as well as officials, have described Harry’s death was an isolated incident, though local traders and neighbours have raised concerns about crime levels in the area.
Details have now emerged of a co-ordinated plan for Primrose Hill Park this December 31 this year – while debates also rage over gates installed there.
Meghann, a 27-year-old from Australia who is a regular visitor to Primrose Hill Park, has raised concerns about friends having their mobile phones stolen by cyclists in the area
Primrose Hill attracts crowds enjoying some of London’s most picturesque views but locals have become alarmed by what they say are rising crime in the park and neighbourhood
Amit Jain, who gas run the Shepherd Foods store on Primrose Hill’s high street for more than 30 years, says he is now losing as much as £600 each week from shoplifting
The affluent north London district of Primrose Hill in the borough of Camden has long attracted celebrity visitors and residents including rock stars, models and actors
Sixteen-year-old Harry Pitman was stabbed to death on Primrose Hill just before midnight on New Year’s Eve last year – a police officer is seen next to floral tributes left for the teenager
Since last year, the park has been closed to the public from 10am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, reopening at 6am, after complaints about anti-social behaviour.
The restrictions were meant to last only during British Summertime months, yet the gates have remained in place despite the clocks changing in October – with Bonfire Night on November 5 highlighted as a particular concern.
Critics say that closing the park not only denies the public access to open spaces helping physical and mental health, but also proves ineffective in preventing crime since intruders can still clamber through hedges while potential targets are even more isolated.
They have also flagged how potential offenders are now instead being seen drinking or doing drugs in the streets of nearby Swiss Cottage.
Another area close to the park where trouble-makers are being displaced is one of north London’s most desired locations, Chalcot Square – around the corner from Chalcot Crescent whose pastel-hued properties featured in Paddington and Bridget Jones films.
Yet in stark contrast to the charms of those movies, and the ‘Primrose Hill Set’ reputation fostered by former locals such as Jude Law, Kate Moss and Harry Styles, people still living and trading in the area say they feel increasingly troubled.
Shop owners have told MailOnline how brazen shoplifters, confident they will escape punishment even if caught, threaten them with violence while stealing expensive cheese and wine.
Amit Jain, who has run a store for more than three decades, told MailOnline shoplifting has ‘got worse and worse and some of them are also violent’, while 27-year-old park visitor Meghann warned about ‘a lot of phone snatching around here’.
Supermodel Kate Moss, pictured out and about in Primrose Hill in July 2014, is one of the famous names attracted to the north London neighbourhood
Bright pastel-coloured homes in Primrose Hill’s Chalcot Crescent have featured in the Paddington and Bridget Jones movie franchises
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And locals insist that despite the gates of the park shutting in the evening during winter, yobs jump the fence and let off fireworks on the hill against that London skyline backdrop.
The Royal Parks pushed earlier this year for permission to install gates permanently protecting the Primrose Hill beauty spot, where other local celebrity residents nearby have included Taylor Swift, Jamie Oliver, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig.
Now the organisation, which also runs the likes of nearby Regents Park plus Green Park and Hyde Park in central London, has alerted local stakeholders to their New Year’s Eve plans.
The body’s director of parks Darren Hayman began by telling them in a letter: ‘We understand that the tragic events of last year will have been distressing for you, as it was for all of us.
‘As we said at the time, we were deeply saddened by Harry’s death. Our thoughts remain with his family and friends during what must be an extremely difficult time as we approach the anniversary of his death.’
He outlined how there would be ‘robust messaging’ to remind members of the public ‘that the park is not suitable for gathering’ and that lighting fireworks and lanterns is banned.
He also revealed how a new Safety Advisory Group has been set up to plan for this coming New Year’s Eve, involving the Metropolitan Police, Camden Council, London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade.
They have been working on what Mr Hayman called ‘robust management plans’ since July, with a specialised event control room planned to be in operation on the night itself.
The stabbing death of 16-year-old Harry Pitman on Primrose Hill on New Year’s Eve last year came as crowds gathered in the park to watch central London’s fireworks display
Police are seen conducting a fingertip search on Primrose Hill the day after the stabbing – now officials have drawn up a special plan for patrolling New Year’s Eve this year
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Specific measures being introduced this year include closing nearby Chalk Farm station at 10.30pm on December 31 as well as local roads.
There will also be an ‘uplift in stewards and lighting’ including extra tower lights, with one at the hill’s summit, as well as LED messaging boards announcing the park will shut at 1am.
The plans have been welcomed by Amy McKeown, a member of community group Primrose Hill Keepers which has campaigned against closing and gating the park.
She told MailOnline: ‘A lot of work has gone in over the last six months and they’ve got a very clear plan for this New Year.
‘What happened last year was a tragic, isolated event. It could have happened anywhere in London.’
But while Primrose Hill has been namechecked in hits such as The Promise by Girls Aloud and Blur’s For Tomorrow, while also providing homes at different times for Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, many locals fear the area’s ‘Cool Britannia’-era image is now being tarnished by rising crime.
Amit Jain has run the Shepherd Foods store on the high street for more than 30 years, and the 56-year-old says the area has become far more dangerous and seen a steep rise in crime in the last four years.
Father-of-two Mr Jain estimates he loses as much as £600 each week from shoplifting, while citing recent statistics that shoplifting across the capital has soared by as much as 40 per cent over the past year.
Shepherds Foods store owner Amit Jain says the area has become more dangerous in recent years – he has run the shop on Primrose Hill’s high street for more than three decades
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He said: ‘Back in the 90s, this place was lovely – it was posh. But the last four years have been terrible.’
Mr Jain described how one shoplifter he recently caught urged him to ring the police and sat on the floor, waiting for them to arrive, saying: ‘At least it’s warm and I get food in prison.’
The shopkeeper recalled: ‘When police arrived about 45 minutes later, they took the stuff from her bag and told her to be on her way. It has just gotten worse and worse.’
Mr Jain added that though he had paid a security guard to patrol the store, he later calculated it would be cheaper for him to lose money from stolen goods than pay the guard.
He said: ‘They charge £20 an hour and do 14-hour shifts – they are supposed to be a deterrent but they don’t actually do anything.
‘It’s not worth it. I worked out that it’s actually cheaper for us to get the good stolen than pay for a security guard.’
Mr Jain believes shoplifters are buoyed by the knowledge that they are unlikely to be sent to prison, as there are no spare cells.
And he said the so-called ‘£200 rule’, where police will often not take action against shoplifters unless they steal goods worth more than that amount, has to go.
The Royal Parks pushed earlier this year for permission to install gates protecting the Primrose Hill open space permanently, with the park being closed from 10pm on weekends
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He said: ‘Shoplifting has gone up about 75 per cent since Covid – it has got worse and worse and some of them are also violent.
‘They know the police won’t do anything because of this £200 business. There’s no prison places for them, as well, and they know it.
‘I have been threatened many times. Someone smashed a window last week, about four in the afternoon.
‘A lot of them come from Camden. The police say, “Don’t approach them, call 999 or 101”. What’s the point?
‘I remember my colleague grabbed someone and the police said, “We should be there within the hour, can you keep him there?”
‘There’s a lot more homeless and drugs around now – they sell the stuff they sell to get quick money.
‘The only way they are going to learn is if they go to jail. There has to be prison places for them. It’s sad, really, for an area like this.’
Victor, a local out walking his dog, told of a rise in anti-social behaviour around fireworks displays held for events such as Diwali, New Year’s Eve and Bonfire Night.
Lighting fireworks or flying lanterns in Primrose Hill Park is banned but locals say that the rules are often flouted especially at landmark occasions such as Bonfire Night and New Year’s Eve
The top of Primrose Hill is among the most popular viewing points for looking across London
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The 58-year-old, who has lived in the area for three decades, said: ‘The fireworks are a big issue. It just seems to get worse. There’s damage to monuments as well. They’re not just little bangs – they’re like bombs going off.’
And he described how the weekend night closures of the park and the new gating offered little deterrent, saying hoodlums ‘just jump over it’ – while also highlighting how many canisters used for inhaling nitrous oxide were left strewn across the area.
Victor suggested more frequent police patrols of the area could deter anti-social behaviour.
He said: ‘There’s no one enforcing the rules. I always swore I would never end up moaning about this area. But people come to Primrose Hill and think, “Bunch of snobs”.
‘I saw people in Tesco yesterday just walk out with stuff. There’s lots of people who have bikes stolen, break-ins. It’s a shame – it should be policed better.
‘I’ve seen young women having their phones nicked by cyclists just here.’
Meghann, a 27-year-old from Australia who moved to nearby Tufnell Park in February, revealed how friends have had their phones seized by cyclists in the area.
She said: ‘There’s a lot of phone snatching around here. I’ve had a lot of friends who’ve had their phones snatched by young people on bikes.
Primrose Hill visitor Meghann, 27, is among those worried by a surge in phone thefts
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‘As a woman living in London, I am very aware of my surroundings. I am always very conscious of that stuff. I still love London, but I definitely feel a lot safer in Australia.’
However, there are plenty of people still delighting in Primrose Hill – and actually suggesting it feels safer than during the Covid-19 pandemic, when many groups made the most of weekends to escape lockdown restrictions and party in the park.
Mother-of-one Ebony Owens, 33, said: ‘I don’t think it has got more dangerous. I feel more safe now than during Covid times. People would treat this park like a nightclub, and that doens’t really happen anymore.
‘I’ve lived here five years and I don’t feel Primrose Hill is unsafe. I used to live in Notting Hill and I didn’t feel as safe there.’
Natalie Mclean, 35 and also a mother-of-one, agreed with her friend, while saying Harry Pitman’s death last New Year’s Eve felt like an exception.
She said: ‘Obviously there was that stabbing, which was really scary.
‘But during Covid it was a place for parties and crazy behaviour. There are a couple of phone snatches, but there’s a good community feel around here.’
Local artist Justine Johnson says the fact her phone was returned to her when she dropped it on a bench in the park recently was testament to the area’s community feel and relative safety.
Natalie McLean (left) and Ebony Owens (right) are among those who say the area including the park still feels safe and a good place to be, having improved since the Covid-19 lockdown
Justine Johnson (left), pictured on Primrose Hill with her friend Vivien Denison, praised the area’s community feel – saying she actually had a mobile phone returned to her
Members of the public are seen watching the sun rise over London from Primrose Hill’s peak
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The 64-year-old, who has lived in the area for over 30 years, said: ‘Camden has more crime than here.
‘I have lost my phone here and someone returned it to me. I walk here at night and feel safe. It’s a real community. I love our neighbourhood.’
Friend and professional dog walker Vivien Denison, 68, agreed, but admitted the crowds gathering to watch the fireworks on New Year’s Eve could be problematic.
She said: ‘Since they started charging at the riverside, everyone comes here.
‘It’s not well managed at all. People pee everywhere and you can’t walk your dog the following day because of all the broken glass.
‘But I have never seen groups of intimidating young men round here. We live in a very nice area. We are very lucky.’
Ms McKeown, from the Primrose Hill Keepers group, said: ‘How safe people feel is completely subjective – I’ve never felt unsafe in the park.’
She acknowledged there were divisions locally, with a Royal Parks consultation on installing permanent gates showing ‘a 50-50 split in the community’.
The new plan for this year’s New Year’s Eve on Primrose Hill will involve police closing some local roads while the park itself is due to shut at 1am on New Year’s Day
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She insisted the park should remain open, saying: ‘We should be encouraging people, especially young people to be outdoors and enjoying the open air – it’s good for mental health, for physical health.
‘The Met are already over-stretched and now we’re seeing more crime being displaced to nearby areas such as Chalcot Square and around Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre.’
Yet concerns about phone snatching were raised by Fonseca, who works in a cafe on the high street and says she tells customers not to leave their phones on their table when they sit outside.
She added: ‘Someone stole a bottle of wine from a shop the other day. Sometimes customers leave their phones out and people snatch them.
‘It can be dangerous around here. You always have to be a little bit careful.’
Minutes for a recent meeting of the Primrose Hill Safer Neighbourhood Panel show concerns being raised about a ‘very high incidence of phone thefts by cyclists, e-cyclists and moped’, adding: ‘These were a cause of great concern.’
Also flagged was a recent trend in the area of ‘drugs being deposited into brown food bins on doorsteps as a way of passing them on’.
Crime figures show there were 87 reported per 1,000 people last year in Primrose Hill excluding the park – higher than the national average of 80, although lower than the rate of 132 across the whole borough of Camden which is London’s second worst.
Police and members of the public are seen at the top of Primrose Hill in March 2021 – officers have been working with the Royal Parks ahead of next month’s New Year’s Eve celebrations
Fonseca, who works in a cafe on the high street, says she tells customers not to leave their phones on their table when they sit outside – pictured is Regent’s Park Road in the area
Primrose Hill has the seventh highest crime rate of 28 neighborhoods in the borough, with the most dangerous being more central districts such as Holborn and Fitzrovia.
Meanwhile, the most frequently-reported crimes across Primrose Hill are anti-social behaviour, theft from the person and violence and sexual offences, according to the statistics.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘Officers from the Central North Command Unit and Royal Parks OCU work closely with partnership agencies including Royal Parks and Camden Council to tackle all forms of crime including theft and anti-social behaviour in the Primrose Hill area and will continue to do so.
‘The park often attracts large numbers of people, especially on New Year’s Eve, and we having been working on our policing operation throughout the year alongside our partners.
‘We would always encourage anyone who has been a victim of crime or witnesses anti-social behaviour to contact police.’
The Royal Parks said the Met was responsible for responding to criminal activity.
Nick Biddle, park manager for the Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, said: ‘Primrose Hill is not suitable for hosting a display or for people to bring their own fireworks or paper lanterns. Fireworks and lanterns are not allowed in any of the Royal Parks, including Primrose Hill.
‘We ask that people please respect the park and the surrounding area by not organising a large gathering on Primrose Hill or letting off their own fireworks or lanterns. Also, if the bins are full, please take litter home with you.’
A Camden Council spokesperson said: ‘Camden Council takes anti-social behaviour very seriously and we continue to work closely with Royal Parks and the police to ensure this area is kept a safe and pleasant place for our residents.’
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