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A massive crackdown on burglaries in the Home Counties has led to a surge in break-ins at London homes, the Met chief said today.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said improved police tactics outside of London had driven criminals into the capital, particularly into suburban boroughs.
Speaking at a meeting of the London Assembly, Sir Paul said London residents now needed to be made more aware of home security.
Senior officers have already highlighted rising levels of burglary in London, up 12.7 per cent on last year.
Sir Paul said: "There are improvements in surrounding counties in targeting [burglaries] and it has impacted on us. It means people will travel and that's put pressure on outer London boroughs. There is no doubt that some of the pressure Home Counties are putting on their burglars is putting pressure on us. It is one of the factors." Scotland Yard has asked residents to "think like a burglar" as it relaunched Operation Bumblebee. The scheme has formed two specialist squads of about 80 officers and 584 people have been arrested in the past few weeks. Sir Paul said other contributing factors to the rise in burglaries included the recession, serial offenders being released from prison and improved vehicle security. He said: "You can no longer break into a car on the street so people burgle the houses to steal the keys to steal the cars."
Sir Paul repeated a pledge to reduce the number of cautions handed out by the Met and instead put an emphasis on taking offenders to court.
Ten arrested in drugs raids
More than 100 officers swooped on 12 addresses in north London today in a major operation against drug dealers.
Ten people were held in Brent and Enfield on suspicion of supplying crack cocaine. It follows eight arrests yesterday over alleged cannabis dealing.
Also targeted was busy Church Road in Harlesden. Police sources say it is so well known to addicts that they queue on the corners.
Reader views (8)
I think a lot of our police must be well and truly fed up when they catch these burglars to find them out the next day on bail. Most of them get just a few years inside and then released to carry on where they left off. You will never change many of these serial criminals; they are damaged goods and need locking up for good. I think basically we have police who sit on their backsides in cars and vans for too long and crap lawyers and judges who are not in touch with the real world.
- Stephend, London, England, 12/11/2009 09:47
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Tee, hee, hee! Your welcome to 'em!!
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 12/11/2009 09:46
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Should the police not be more active in actually catching criminals, instead of doctoring some statistics!?
- Georgie, Islington, London, 12/11/2009 09:18
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Frank,Home Counties must feel a lot safer now!
- Steve, London, 12/11/2009 08:51
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The Commissioner is right - displacement of crime is a well known fact and regularly happens. Operations in one area often push crime into others, not so long ago the counties were complaining about London criminals travelling-in, so this does happen the other way as well. If we dished out proper deterrent punishments to criminals, and put them away for longer in the first place - as most crime is down to a small % of miscreants, we wouldn't have such a problem.
- H Morgan, London, 11/11/2009 21:52
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Never mind, I'm sure our useful plastic plods will stop them! Oh no, that's right, they don't have the power of arrest, perhaps they could fine them then?
- Bob, Cheam, 11/11/2009 14:59
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Oh and I suppose they are coming to london to be anti social also! That's 'apparently' (if you believe any of this government stats) up by some 12%
- Mark, London, 11/11/2009 14:27
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So what factual basis is there for yet another lame excuse as to why the Crime figures in London are going through the roof?
Another pathetic excuse by the Met, to suggest that policing success elsewhere is driving the burglars to london? Have they pulled any burglars from Herts?
As NorthWales has seen an 8% increase in Burglary rates. maybe they are all going up there too!!!
The Met, what a laugh
- Mark, London, 11/11/2009 14:25
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