Business owners and market traders on Bromley High Street feel their community is becoming increasingly unsafe after two days of trouble.
In a week which saw a stabbing at a fast food restaurant and a bomb scare that evacuated The Glades Shopping Centre 24 hours later, workers claim Bromley high street is becoming more dangerous.
Bhavesh Patel, 63, who has run a newsagents in The Glades for over twenty years, feels the high street has become worse and saw his business impacted by the recent events.
He said: “Customers in my shop had alerted me of the stabbing last week and I was made aware of a potential bomb scare as we were evacuated from the shopping centre on Friday for two hours, meaning I had to shut my shop early.
“Everyday it’s getting worse. I now never use my phone when I walk to the station after work.”
The Metropolitan Police have since declared the bomb scare as a hoax. Meanwhile, seven people have been arrested after four men were stabbed on Bromley High Street at a KFC earlier this month.
Vaibhav Patel, 33, a manager of a gadget store, agrees that the area has become worse ever since he moved into the borough.
He said: “When I arrived in 2020 for my business, Bromley was a lovely place but in the last two to three years that has changed, everyday something bad happens.
“I no longer feel safe walking home when I finish work.
“Two months ago, I had a child enter the shop with a fake gun and mask, demanding everything from the shop.”
According to recent statistics, reported by CrimeRate, Bromley has traditionally been regarded as a safe place to live, being listed as one of the top ten safest boroughs in the capital.
In April 2026, Bromley’s crime rate was recorded as 67 crimes per 1,000 people, 19% lower than the wider London average.
Despite that, it has seen a 38% increase in public order offences and a 22% increase in theft from a person offences.
One market trader who has run an ice cream stall for decades demanded that authorities do something to make Bromley High Street safer.
Rosario Scordino, 57, said: “We traders now work in fear of encountering danger. These young people will threaten to stab you over ice cream.
“Someone has to do something, whether it’s the council or the government, to put an end to these crimes.”
Bromley Council have been contacted for comment.
Featured image credit: Teddie Barrett
Join the discussion