Cyclists robbed at knifepoint in Finsbury Park

Three people were robbed at knifepoint while cycling through Finsbury Park on Monday night.

Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of robbery over the attacks, which saw the victims have their phones and bank cards stolen.

Police were called at 7.50pm to reports of multiple people being targeted in the park by the Seven Sisters Road entrance, a spot known for its rampant drug dealing.

In 2017 police said their ability to stop criminals using the park was limited because a lack of staff meant the gates couldn’t be closed at night and there were only two officers patrolling the area.

Police at the time said they were in the process of trying to have the Stroud Green Road gate closed at dusk, but that has still not happened.

Months after that claim Iuliana Tudos was murdered in the park on Christmas Eve while walking to her home in Upper Tollington Park.

The 22-year-old barmaid’s death sparked a campaign by her friends and worried locals for the park to be locked at night.

Police audited the park and made formal recommendations to Haringey Council to lock it up and increase the lighting, but nothing was done and a woman was raped near the Seven Sisters Road gate in July.

Haringey in December said it was exploring employing a park ranger and two wardens. In the meantime it said workers would be “cutting back foliage and lifting tree and shrub canopies” to make the park safer.