"Community spirit shines through" says Bexley police

Community spirit shines through as London cabbie helps a vulnerable victim in their time of need.  Back in early October, Bexley police released a circulation of two individuals on its Facebook page who were wanted in connection to a pickpocketing at The Co-Op, Long Lane, Bexleyheath where the elderly victim had her purse stolen. The video received a phenomenal response from the community, with it being viewed over 3 million times and shared to all corners of the world. Numerous messages were received from members of the public asking how they could help this victim. This was the first time that the 85-year-old victim had ventured out following her recovery from a stroke and her husband was also recovering from a fractured spine at the time of the theft. Bexley Police were made aware of a Go Fund Me page, that had been set up by a London Black Taxi driver, Roshan Varma. We made contact with Roshan, who has been a credit to the community and raised a fantastic amount of money for the victim and her family. Today, Roshan was invited to Bexleyheath Police Station to meet the victim and her family and he presented her with a cheque for £2000. Roshan said: "Obviously it sickened me, a little old lady and suffering from a stroke. I contacted the police trying to get her name just to give her her £60 back. I had loads of people messaging me so I thought 'right, well, I'll start a GoFundMe and we can have it all in one place. The community spirit in Bexleyheath is something else, I wish I lived in a community like it. Something like this touches people, anyone could have started the page, I'm not special, I just got the ball rolling." Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, Bexley Borough Commander, met with the victim and Roshan and presented Roshan a Borough Commanders Commendation for dedication, community spirit and outstanding support to a vulnerable victim. Bexley Police would like to take this opportunity to thank the Bexley and wider community for their kind generosity and continued support.