Borough Remains Safest In Inner London

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According to the latest figures from the Metropolitan Police

The Met’s statistics, which show a reduction in most types of crime in Wandsworth over the past year, reveal the total number of offences fell by 3.1 per cent.

Between August 2012 and July 2013, there were fewer incidents of violent crime in the borough, with less gang-related violence and a drop in gun crime.

Overall, the borough has the lowest crime rate in inner London per head of population.

Inspector Jayme Johnson said: "These figures are encouraging and show people in Wandsworth are safer and less likely to become a victim of crime. Police officers and staff from the Metropolitan Police continue to work hard to prevent crime before it happens and catch criminals as or after they commit offences.

"But statistics only tell a part of the story. There are still innocent people who do become victims, and this will always motivate us to work harder - to get to them swiftly when they call us, to support them when they report a crime to us, and use the resources we have as wisely as we can to catch the offender and drive forward the justice process."

Inspector Jayme Johnson leads the Putney and Wandsworth Neighbourhood Policing Team. If you wish to join him on patrol, contact him at jayme.johnson@met.police.uk, where you can discuss any local crime issues or innovative solutions you may have.

Wandsworth’s community safety spokesman, Councillor Jonathan Cook, praised the work of police, the council’s community safety department, and other local partners, in helping bring about a reduction in crime – and reassured residents that the hard work combating incidents of criminal behaviour would continue.

He said:
“News that crime is falling will be welcomed across the borough. We have seen fewer incidents of violent offences, a reduction in the number of residential burglaries taking place, less racial and homophobic crime and a significant decline in car crime. However, we cannot be complacent and, alongside police and other local partners, we must continue working hard to cut crime further. We will be increasing efforts to help combat offences like robbery and domestic violence, as they are priority areas for us – and we will also look at ways of helping police tackle mobile phone thefts.”

In August, the Met rolled out a London-wide Love your Phone campaign to raise awareness about mobile phone theft, which has been on the rise nationally and is a particular problem near stations and bus stops or in pubs, cafes and shops, as these are areas targeted by opportunistic thieves.

The campaign, designed by the Clapham Grand nightclub, had previously been successfully trialled in Battersea, where posters were out up in town centre venues encouraging people to take care of their phones in public places.

Last month also saw Wandsworth Council’s community safety department secure almost £2.5m in conditional grant funding for twelve projects between 2013 and 2017.

This includes funding for two independent domestic violence advocates to reduce
levels of domestic violence and increase the number of offenders charged.

The money will also be used to fund a team tasked with reducing re-offending outcomes, tackling crime in burglary hotspot areas through community-driven work and continuing to assist the business community to reduce crime in town centres.

Cllr Cook said that an increase in the number of PCs on the borough’s neighbourhood police teams – from 50 to 104 – would also help combat crime locally.

Along with police and other borough-based partners, the council helps produce a rolling three-year Community Safety Partnership Plan, which lists priority areas to tackle as well as detailing methods of combatting different types of criminal offences.

Joined up working between the police, fire brigade, probation service, borough health services and the council will continue to help reduce incidents of criminal behaviour.

Members of the public should call 999 in the event of an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, someone suspected of a crime is nearby, when there is danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened. To contact the police for any other reason, call 101.

To find out more about the council’s community safety department visit www.wandsworth.gov.uk/communitysafety.

October 2, 2013