The betrayal of Damilola

Pupils at Damilola Taylor's school are being threatened and robbed despite top-level pledges of secure streets and "safety wardens".

Teachers and families today describe the continuing menace from gangs as a betrayal of the memory of Damilola as the first anniversary of the 10-year-old's murder approaches.

Officials from Oliver Goldsmith Primary School say pupils are still being robbed and harassed as they leave school and on the North Peckham estate where Damilola was stabbed by a gang of youths as he walked home and bled to death in a stairwell .

Days after the murder, the then Home Secretary Jack Straw and other high-profile politicians visited the area and promised to bring in measures to curb street violence.

At the time, residents were cynical about what they saw as a "publicity stunt". One mother said: "It's OK to have all the cameras here today, but by tomorrow they will have forgotten about this issue and moved on to something else."

This week, teachers have said that recently one nine-yearold boy claimed he was threatened by four youths armed with a hammer. Other pupils say they are being robbed of money and mobile phones.

Governors and members of an action group within the school are aggrieved that talks about forming a team of "safety wardens" have not yet led to patrols being set up. Despite funding being agreed by the Home Office, no wardens are likely to be deployed until next April.

Hopes that a "Junior Citizens" project to encourage safety skills and communication would have started by now have also been dashed.

Sue Frolish, a teacher at Oliver Goldsmith, said: "If Damilola's death doesn't prompt change, what will? Kids are being robbed for money. What value are those in power putting on their lives? I think we are letting the children down very badly."

In May, the Evening Standard revealed how senior public figures, including the Prime Minister, Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens and the Mayor Ken Livingstone were sent a dossier of safety recommendations drawn up by Damilola's grieving classmates. The safety patrols were one of the main recommendations.

Bola Ogun, the chairman of the governors, said: "A lot of meetings were held and commitments given before the summer holidays. But things are just the same."

Mr Ogun, who welcomed dignitaries to the school earlier this year including Mr Straw, added: "A lot of people said they were ready to do whatever was needed, but when practical ideas were put together that commitment seems to have slipped."

The children themselves paint a bleak picture. Interviewed this week by the BBC Newsround pro --gramme, one of Damilola's former classmates said: "There are loads of gangs, they wear hoodies and you think they're going to beat you up. If you're walking down the street on your own, you feel intimidated."