Crime in London at 10-year low
LONDON, Jan 22 (APP): The crime in the British capital is at a ten-year low, according to the latest figures released by the Metropolitan Police. The statistics reveal that crime in London is continuing to fall with clear reductions in knife and gun crime, robbery, and hate crime. Overall crime has fallen for the sixth consecutive year and is now at the lowest level for ten years.
Londoners and those who visit London have been reassured that the Capital is continuing to get safer with gun crime down by 26% and knife crime down by over 12% compared with 2007. Further, robbery has been reduced by over 17% with over 6,900 less robberies compared with 2007.
The percentage of crimes resulting in the offenders being charged, cautioned or receiving another penalty has also risen with the ‘sanctioned detection’ rate exceeding once again the Metropolitan Police Authority target of 24%, at 26.6%.
The success, according to the Police, has been to a range of initiatives over the past year to deter individuals from carrying and using knives and guns and the ongoing success of the Safer Neighbourhoods teams to counteract robbery.
Serious violence and assaults that incur injuries have dropped by nearly 2,400 offences (3.2%) since 2007.
While hate crime is down in terms of racial and homophobic violence it is concerning that domestic violence has seen an increase of around 6% over the last year. However, rape offences have gone up by 306 since 2007.
London’s acting deputy Police Commissioner Tim Godwin said:
“These figures show that London is getting safer and that our strategies and those of our partners in tackling knife and gun crime are beginning to take effect. We are not complacent and there is far more to be done.”