Overview

• 74-year-old broadcaster Selina Scott was attacked by a gang near Waterstones on Piccadilly in broad daylight, suffering a blow to the leg and having her purse stolen.
• Scott was unable to find any officers to report the crime in a busy West End area after the nearby West End Central station had been closed four years earlier.
• The following day, police failed to attend a scheduled visit to Scott’s home because no patrol car was available.
• Sir Mark Rowley publicly apologised for the force’s inadequate service and acknowledged officers did not meet expected standards.
• Scott highlighted a year-long CCTV outage at the crime scene and questioned why officers are deployed to marches rather than patrolling central London.