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Rise in burglaries takes shine off Met's violent crime figures
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor16.07.09
Burglaries have risen in London despite a fall in overall crime and a decline in some of the most serious violent offences.
Metropolitan Police figures released today show there were an extra 1,052 home break-ins during the 12 months to the end of June.
The 1.8 per cent rise, which gives a total of 60,490 domestic burglaries during the year, means the capital has finally followed the national trend of an increase in break-ins since the start of the recession.
There was a 4.4 per cent rise in break-ins at businesses, schools and other non-residential buildings, with 34,854 crimes during the 12-month period.
The burglary figures took the gloss off other more positive statistics that show a 8.2 per cent drop in knife crime, an 8.8 per cent decline in youth violence and a 6.2 per cent fall in robberies.
There was also a 1.4 per cent drop in the capital's overall crime total -11,924 fewer offences - and the same drop in the most serious violent incidents.
He refused to blame the recession for the trend, saying there was "no evidence" that the downturn lay behind the increase.
However, Mr Jarman promised initiatives to address the problem over the coming months, including faster forensic testing, closer monitoring of freed burglary convicts and more crime prevention advice for householders. He said: "It is significantly worrying. Burglary is one of those crimes you do not want to happen to you or to anyone you are responsible for so an increase is something that we take very seriously."
More encouraging are today's figures on knife and youth crime.
Knife offences have dropped by 8.2 per cent - 1,096 fewer crimes - since last year.
Teenage murders, which are largely caused by stabbings, have fallen to four so far this year compared with 10 at the same time last year.
Youth violence figures, defined as offences in which a young person is the victim, are also significantly lower with a current annual total of 20,333 crimes, 1,957 fewer than in the previous year.
Mr Jarman said the intensified use of stop and search, combined with educational campaigns about the dangers of knives and youth schemes which helped to keep potential offenders and victims off the streets, had all played a part in bringing about the decline.
Further positive figures showed another drop in homicides, with 139 during the past 12 months compared to 156 the previous year, and a decline of 1.4 per cent in cases of "most serious violence and assault with injury". There was a total of 72,004 offences in that category over the past year.
Rape rose by 7.3 per cent, while domestic violence was also up by 4.1 per cent, although in both cases the Met believes that the increases were driven more by a rise in victims reporting these crimes rather than a growth in actual offending.
A 13.5 per cent rise in homophobic crime is also thought to be the result of more victims reporting offences to the police.
Reader views (23)
The overall trends for London obviously hide a lot of local variation.
You can view the figures for each borough here:
http://www.met.police.uk/crimefigures/index.php#
The figures for CROYDON are very worrying: gun offences up from 125 to 166, homicide up from 4 to 8, rape up from 98 to 153, residential burglary up 31%, total crime up by 8% and the numbers higher in virtually every category.
- Kev, Bromley
So, the consensus is that these figures are stalinist statistics put out by a lying, ineffective, dangerously inept so called government. Well I'll go along with that.
- Satnam Singh, Corby
The harsh reality is the fact that a vast majority of victims of crime are honest working class citizens who have limited access to choices owing to lack of financial resources.
The super rich/privileged can afford chaffeur driven cars.thus not using public transport systems.
They can afford space away from the masses.
Is not the legal system all part of that collaboration to protect people of this ilk
- Barry Deane, Richmond, United Kingdom
Those who keep going on about ethnicity clearly havnt been to Glasgow, Liverpool, middlesborough - where crime is high yet the crime committed is by white british. A crime is a crime regardless, now shutup with your whole ethnicity rubbish.
- Jedo, london
Given a choice - having my door klicked in or my head? I know where I get return on insurance.
- William, London UK
London is fastly becoming a third world slum and the streets are a scary place for many now.
- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London
Mark, South-East London- why do you want to know the age groups, the ethnicity and nationality of those perpetrating crimes? Isn't a crime a crime regardless of who commits it? Maybe that’s why these statistics aren't collated- because they're meaningless. Even my eight year old could tell you that.
- Nj, London
Don't believe these figures and I don't trust the MET. They're probably too busy expensing things on to their business cards.
- Jk, London
"Tough on Crime, Tough on the Causes of crime."
"Education, education, education".
"Things can only get better"
"We will not introduce university top up fees and will legislate to prevent their introduction".
"If we can't make a success of it [the dome] then we aren't much of a Government"
The soundbites wore a bit thin years ago. Now they are just soundbites.
- Adam, Harrow, UK
Liberal And Proud, London, UK
You don't need a high IQ to add up a series of figures; my 8 year old can do percentages.
It's a shame that all L&P's high IQed mates haven't got the guts to point to what age groups, the ethnicity and nationality of those people perpetrating these crimes are!
- Mark, South-East London
i actually told the police who those boys are in that picture, did they do anything about it? No
- Jedo, london
I don't think the murder/manslaughter figures can be fiddled so the decline is welcome but the 'gun-enabled' figure is almost certainly underestimated.
BTW..why doesn't the MET break the crimes down by race of victim/perp?
- Richard, London, England
I do not honestly believe that ANYBODY in our fair sceptered isle believes ANYTHING they are told by the government or police.
Within 150 yards of my home in South East London there have been in the past 12 months:
2 fatal stabbings
5 shootings (2 fatal)
1 dismemberment( reported in mainstream press)
3 (reported) rapes
and top cap it all myself and 4 freinds have been MUGGED (i hate the word street crime) MUGGED perfectly describes the act of armed robbery with violence).
Me and my freinds recived a wishy washy letter after reporting the crimes and a crime number , and to date i have recived NO visit from a police officer concerning the crime.
The statistics are meaningless.
OUR STREETS ARE BECOMING A BATTLEGROUND AND THE GOVERNMENT SIT BACK AND FIDDLE WHILST ROME BURNS,WHILE THE LIBERAL "INTELLIGENCIA" SIT BACK ,WRING THEIR HANDS ,WAIL AND MAKE EXCUSES FOR THE SCUM THAT INFEST OUR STREETS.
as the old american saying goes, and i quote:
A LIBERAL IS A REPUBLICAN WHO HAS NOT BEEN MUGGED YET.
People tend to change their outlook on life after becoming a victim of crime.
MR (STILL ANGRY) PASTRY (still living in his Fortress of Insolence ,Sth East London)
- Mr Pastry, london
I seem to recall that the former Commissioner at the Met, Ian Blair, told Londoners that we could leave our doors unlocked! These figures don't support the slick PR that is endemic to people with this surname.
- Simon Ellis, London E8
Steve, London is 100% correct these figures are absolutley meaningless and pointless. People can not be bothered to call the police, the streets of London have never beeen so dangerous and the Police do nothing
- Gerry, Essex
No one with any sense would believe this load of rubbish, sad thing is I realy don't believe calle me Dave and his bunch of freaks will improve anything when they get in next year.
- P Staker, London
I do not believe the Met's figures as I have had experience of them not recording investigating crime that was commited against me.
- Mike, London
Classic,
no time to catch real villans but loads of time to collect statistics about petty and minor crime that results in a slap on the wrist if you are a thug or if you are middle class a short spell in detention of a hefty fine, but bonuses, kudos and promotions for some police officers.
In the real world the London police should never have time to collect statistics untill, and only untill, all actual & potential violent and theft crimes have been stopped, fully investigated and(properly) punished.
PC PLOD - - - - Plotically Correct Plodding more like
- Jane, London
Wow - you lot are cynical. Thank god you don't work for the medical industry - if everyone only believed hearsay and anecdotes and not researched evidence and carefully collated statistics, there'd be no modern medicine - we'd all be using leeches and bleeding ourselves instead.
I'm just glad that the average IQ of those collating these stats is significantly higher than that of those criticising them here.
- Liberal And Proud, London, UK
Race crime would be double what it is now if the police started recording it when white people are the victims.
I know of two episodes when, despite there being more witnesses than there were to the Stephen Lawrence murder, the police have refused to treat a crime as racially motivated. In one case an all black gang surrounded a smaller group of younger boys and said "leave the brothers and get Whitey!" and the proceeded to give him a good kicking. The extra irony being that it was the same area covered by the SL police.
- Mark, South-East London
these are liebour statistics, so who on earth would believe them apart from the BBC the government mouthpiece who are consistantly spouting them on the news today.
- Albert Hall, Kettering
YIPPEE KAY AY.
The crime statistics are just that STATISTICS DAMN STATISTICS.
A walk around most streets in sth london will show just how popular the new street decoration is THE YELLOW MURDER BOARD. The smiling face of the local PCSO (who has no powers of arrest) really make me feel safe on the streets( dont seem to see many of them on the street after 18:00pm though.
Go on a FERAL YOUTH SAFARI in any local park or housing estate ,and see them in their natural habitat drinking white lightning cider and stalking old ladies.
ASK ANY OF YOUR NEIGHBOURS IF THEY HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF CRIME.
The victim support scheme is laughable as are police response times in the london area.
RAPED , BURGLED,RUN OVER , CALL THE POLICE 999 
i would laugh about it if i could .
WHAT DO THE GOVERNMENT TAKE US FOR,UTTER FOOLS.
Remember the poem THE WALRUS AND T5HE CARPENTER
Oh oysters come and walk with us ,the walrus did beseech
A pleasant walk,a pleasant talk ,along the briny beach
we cannot do with more than 4 to give a hand to each.
WE ARE BEING LED BLINDLY INTO SOCIAL OBLIVION BY SUCESSIVE FAILED GOVERNMENTS ,WHO DONT HAVE THE WILL OR BACKBONE TO ACT.
MR (ANGRY) PASTRY
- Mr Pastry, london
Do any of us believe these figures?We're no mugs,we know what this country's become.
- Steve, London
