Sex parties have destroyed our local park – why won’t the council lock the gates and stop them

Locals have despaired over the state of their neighbourhood park, urging the council to lock it at night as they complain it has become a ‘hotbed for sex parties’.

‘Grisly’ images show the rubbish and debris left behind at Finsbury Park in the aftermath of a ‘sex party which destroyed wildlife habitats’.

Parents have now stopped their children from going anywhere near the 150-year-old site as they complain it has deteriorated in recent years, with some also comparing the area to those on HBO crime drama The Wire.

Katie Dawson, chair of the Friends of Finsbury Park (FOFB) charity, said similar demands had previously led Haringey Council to insist a lack of funds prevented them from locking the park.

However, the 57-year-old complained that thanks to summer concerts and festivals – including Wireless Festival, which Canadian rapper Drake headlines this year – the council in reality has a substantial annual budget of over £1.2m.

Ms Dawson said: ‘It’s pretty grisly.

‘These recent photos highlight a problem we’ve known about for a long time. But it’s come to a head now because there was a massive event last weekend.

‘It’s just not a safe place. Crime and anti-social behaviour are out of control.’

The mother-of-three explained locals reported a ‘disturbing’ event last weekend in which shrub beds in the nature-rich North side of the park were ‘ripped apart during a mass orgy’.

The park, along with Hampstead Heath, has long been affiliated with ‘cruising’ – searching for casual sexual partners in public places.

Ms Dawson said: ‘We know there’s sex work, drug taking and drug dealing.

‘We have a lot of sexual anti-social behaviour… People meeting up for orgies.

‘There was a mass gathering last weekend where about 80 men went into the park after dark and left all their detritus behind.

‘But they have also ripped up lots of historic shrub beds that support nesting birds.

‘Five have been destroyed by guys going in there and trying to create space to do their thing… It’s pretty horrible.

‘It’s just not right for a park where people are bringing their kids the next day, going jogging or having their lunch.’

Gio Iozzi, a mum-of-two living near the park, stated she would no longer bring her kids to the park if they were still young.

A resident of the area for over 20 years, Ms Lozzi said: ‘It’s the Wild West of criminality.

‘It’s well-known that there’s group sex in the park.

‘It has been abandoned by the police and councillors. Because it borders three boroughs, we feel no one’s taking responsibility for it. The council are milking it for all of the money they can. There are drug deals, group sex, rapes, murders…

‘It all feels very unsafe. We feel totally unsupported. There’s no urgency about all of this criminality going on in our park.

‘It sometimes feels like a no-go zone. It feels like the council is not interested in keeping it safe and protected.

‘No one’s taking responsibility. It’s like something out of The Wire – that’s how it feels.

‘It’s absolutely disgusting.’

FOFP has asked Haringey Council to lock the gates to the park at night – as other London councils do for Victoria Park, Southwark Park, Burgess Park, Battersea Park and Clissold Park – which they believe might deter at least some of the ‘horrific’ goings on.

Ms Dawson said: ‘The park is not locked at night, which is very unusual for an inner city park.

‘It has become well-known as a place you can go after dark.

‘A park is somewhere local people go to enjoy. For most people living around the park, it’s their garden.

‘It’s upsetting. We’ve been saying for a long time we need to do what most other parks in London do and lock it at night.

‘The council say they have no money, but they host these massive concerts in the summer so they can probably afford to pay a park keeper to lock up the park and unlock it in the morning.

‘We already have a perimeter fence. It’s wrong for the council to seemingly think it’s not their problem.

‘We are sick of banging our heads against the wall and watching the park deteriorate.

‘It’s just nonsense. They just don’t care about the park.

‘It’s a much-loved, much-needed space for an awful lot of people.’

Councillor Emily Arkell, Haringey Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, said the authority aimed to keep the park as open as possible and would only consider locking it under ‘exceptional’ circumstances.

She said: ‘We are determined to keep Finsbury Park as accessible and open as possible.

‘We recognise in this post-COVID world how important it is to our communities and residents, who commute to and from work via the park and exercise there in the early mornings and late evenings.

‘It is essential that everyone feels safe inside Finsbury Park and we have taken – and continue to take – strong steps to ensure that remains the case.

‘We’ve installed CCTV cameras and overhead lighting as well as increased staff presence, including ongoing regular patrols, to prevent anti-social behaviour.

‘We will continue to engage with our partners and external stakeholders on plans to improve community safety through police-led initiatives such as the tri-borough Clear, Hold, Build project, which aims to tackle serious and organised crime in the wider Finsbury Park area.

‘As outlined in our latest Parks and Green Spaces Strategy, we would only consider locking the park in exceptional circumstances as there is no legal requirement for us to do so.

‘We would encourage park users who witness incidents of anti-social behaviour in Finsbury Park to report it to the police by calling 101.

‘We are all determined to stamp this out in Finsbury Park.’

A Met Police spokesman said: ‘Finsbury Park is a public space for everyone to enjoy and we would encourage all who use the park to do so respectfully and considerately.

‘Local officers regularly patrol the park and we work with partners, including the council and community groups, to address any concerns raised by park users and local residents, to tailor these patrols.

‘Any criminality that is flagged to our officers will be assessed and investigated accordingly, with those responsible liable for arrest.’