New figures show that theft, personal robbery and vehicle offences have fallen across London.
Neighbourhood offences fell by 14 per cent in the 12 months to June compared with the previous year – the equivalent of more than 35,000 fewer offences reported across London. This includes 23,311 fewer thefts from person, 2,943 fewer personal robberies, and 8,737 fewer vehicle offences.
The announcement follows a sustained focus on local policing, with hundreds of extra officers carrying out high-visibility patrols in neighbourhood hotspots and intelligence-led operations targeting offenders.
Following a doubling of officers on patrol in the West End, mobile phone thefts have halved and there have been 14,000 fewer neighbourhood crimes.
A new Met Command Cell in the heart of the West End, funded by the Mayor of London, is also working to identify suspects and help prevent robberies, theft and anti-social behaviour in the heart of the capital.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “Neighbourhood policing is about being visible, listening to Londoners and tackling the issues that matter most to them. That focus is delivering results, with neighbourhood crime down 14 per cent across the capital.
“By putting more officers on the frontline and using cutting-edge technology, we are bringing more criminals to justice. We’ve doing all of this despite the Met shrinking as a police force with less money and few officers overall.
“While there is more to do, these figures show that neighbourhood policing is having a real impact, and we will continue working tirelessly alongside communities to cut crime and keep Londoners safe.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “At the start of the year, we set out the huge strides the capital had made tackling violent crime. Today, I’m really pleased to announce that thanks to my record investment in the Met, the hard work of officers and London’s Violence Reduction Unit, further significant reductions have been made in neighbourhood crime across London.
“There have been 35,000 fewer neighbourhood crimes – a drop of 14 per cent - with robberies of personal property, thefts from person, residential burglaries and vehicle crime offences falling London wide in the last year. In the West End alone, we have seen phone thefts halved and 14,000 fewer neighbourhood crimes, following a doubling of officers on patrol in the heart of the capital. A new Command Cell in the heart of the West End, funded by City Hall, is also serving as a central point to share intelligence, identify suspects and help prevent robberies, theft and anti-social behaviour.
“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.”
