Eight boys kicked me in the head

I had made the journey a thousand times before, crossing a park in Wanstead to get some shopping from the nearby supermarket. It was early evening and as I entered the park a guy stepped out from behind a tree.

"Give me your money," he said as he blocked the darkened path. I pushed him aside and another two individuals stepped in. I managed to force the second wave away but there was only one way out of the park which was the High Street - some 300 metres away in the opposite direction.

I made a dash for it but only then did I become aware of just how many attackers there were, coming in from all sides. I heard the shout "trip him" from behind and almost immediately hit the ground. By this time the whole eight-strong pack of young males had closed in and were kicking me in the head, ribs, back and legs.

As I clung to my wallet with one hand, the attack became more frenzied and I was cut in the back with a Stanley knife. In the end the muggers grabbed the wallet, threw my house keys back and took off across the park.

I ran to the nearby supermarket to call the police. As the adrenaline rush wore off, I became more aware of a numbness around my head, badly bruised ribs and the cuts on my back. Over the following weeks there was a loss of short-term memory and real concern about going out alone. The bruised ribs were the worst of the injuries, taking over a month to heal.

Three months later I still think ahead when going out at night, about what path I am likely to follow and the risks I might encounter on the way. In a strange way, it is like a lost innocence.

The police response on the night was good with a number of cars arriving quickly and swamping the area in a search for my assailants. However, despite a reported sighting, they got away.

But the follow-up from the police left a lot to be desired. A woman who saw the assailants run out of the park contacted me through a friend. I gave this information to the police but nothing happened. A further potential witness in a nearby library had seen the gang hanging around prior to the attack, but again she was not contacted in the immediate aftermath.

Two days later I received a note from the National Union of Journalists telling me to ring a local man who had found some of my bank cards and press card. The guy told me how, after finding the cards in front of the local church, he had contacted the police who said that if the NUJ had been contacted there was no need for them to get involved. Not exactly care in the community, I thought. Clearly they had washed their hands of the whole affair.

It was only some three weeks later, after I had written to the borough commander, Chief Superintendent Kynnersley, complaining of these oversights, that an officer began to follow up on the potential leads. The allocated officer also apologised for the way in which the bank and press cards affair had been handled.

Another reality check to come out of the attack is the realisation that other people may be around, but they won't intervene. When I reached the supermarket, two well built men asked if I was the guy being attacked on the green - so they had clearly witnessed the whole thing but did nothing to help.

There is no doubt that there is a growing level of violent street crime in the country, particularly around London. If things are not to get completely out of hand there must be urgent action taken to address the problem.

Failure to do so is likely to result in vigilante groups springing up all over the place. Street justice is no answer, but it will come if those in authority do not take seriously the concerns of the law-abiding person on the street.