‘London is safe’: Crime rates fall again in capital with major dip in West End phone theft
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the figures show “London is safe and getting safer each year”
The number of phones being stolen from people in London has fallen by 13,000 in a year, according to figures released by the Metropolitan Police.
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Robberies, thefts, and vehicle crime have also seen a significant reduction, after what’s been described as a “sustained focus” on targeting the capital’s most prolific offenders.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the figures show “London is safe and getting safer each year”.
A source close to the Mayor of London told LBC they show a different reality to the “dystopian hellhole” they claim people like Elon Musk, Nigel Farage and the “captains of online disinformation” try to paint the city as being.
Official figures reveal neighbourhood crimes fell by 14 per cent in the 12 months to June, compared to the year before.
Across London there were 23,311 fewer thefts from a person reported, 2,943 fewer personal robberies and 8,737 fewer vehicle offences.
The Met chief said: “This reduction reflects a wider policing approach and the dedication and hard work of local officers, working with specialist colleagues across the Met, using cutting-edge technology, to bring more criminals to justice.
“When neighbourhood policing works, its impact reaches far beyond local crime. Strong relationships with communities help us prevent and reduce wider forms of violence.
“These latest statistics are a massive achievement and come after we also announced at the start of the year that serious violence was down, making the capital an even safer global city for Londoners and international visitors alike.”
The biggest crime reduction in the past year was seen in Central London, across the borough of Westminster.
Offences, including phone theft, fell by more than a third in the West End, with the success in part put down to a new command centre in the area, which has put a sharp focus on police and business security partners sharing intelligence and coordinating their response.
The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, said: “With more than five million extra visitors coming to London during the peak tourism season and the start of the school summer holidays, the Met Police are building on this work with extra officers in hotspot areas, tackling issues that matter to local communities including anti-social behaviour, robbery and mobile phone theft.
“We know many people online and across the world have been trying to talk London down, but the evidence is clear - London is one of safest global cities in the world, crime is falling and we’ll continue working together to build a safer London for everyone.”
Jamie Conroy, Acting Director of Security and Operations at the New West End Company told LBC: “We know that the success of the West End depends on people feeling welcome and safe. The evidence is encouraging but there is certainly more to do.
“It is critical that we maintain the momentum of positive change already underway, but the justice system must take a more robust approach to sentencing, especially for those responsible for prolific and organised offending.”
Later this morning, the Office for National Statistics will release crime figures for all of England and Wales which will show whether the trend in London has been replicated elsewhere.
They come as reports of hate crime have skyrocketed, with a renewed focus on protecting synagogues and Jewish communities, following a series of Antisemitic attacks.
The British Muslim Trust has also complained of mosques “waiting for months” for security funding promised by the government, after recording 70 attacks at places of worship in the past year.
Counter Terrorism Police have also said their caseload is at its highest for several years, with increased investigations into hostile state activities, as well as terror threats from Islamist groups and the extreme far-right.