Crime in London
Encyclopedia
Greater London
is served by three police forces; the Metropolitan Police
which is responsible for policing the vast majority of the capital and is geographically divided into 32 Borough Operational Command Units, the City of London Police
which is responsible for The Square Mile of the City of London
, and the British Transport Police
which polices the rail network and London Underground.
A fourth police force in London, the Ministry of Defence Police
, do not generally become involved with policing the general public. Within the Home Office
crime statistic publications Greater London is referred to as the London Region.
Generally, every area in London has different crime rates. Several areas have issues with crime, while many others are very safe.
Commenting on figures from 1 April 1998 onwards Jack Straw
said "changes in the way crime statistics are compiled are in line with recommendations by senior police officers. They are intended to give a more accurate picture of the level of offences". The largest increases were recorded in the Violence Against the Person category owing to the inclusion of Common assault
figures to accompany other offence types within this category that include Assault occasioning actual bodily harm, Grievous bodily harm
, Harassment, Murder
, possession of offensive weapons and a selection of other low volume violent crimes grouped together by the Metropolitan Police as 'Other Violence'.
The change in counting rules, and the significant impact it had on violence against the person figures, was often misconstrued by the media as real increases. The rises in violence resulting from this were highly publicised on an annual basis.
Today crime figures are made available nationally at Local Authority and Ward level. The Metropolitan Police have made detailed crime figures, broken down by category at borough and ward level, available on their website for the last 10 years.
however this changed from 1998 when crime statistics began to be collated and grouped by Financial Year.
and sexual offences.
Sources: International Comparison of CJS Statistics 1998, Metropolitan Police Performance Information, Metropolitan Police Crime Mapping Data Tables
.
The distribution of homicide offences in London can vary significantly by borough. Between 2000/01 and 2008/09 there were 1,570 offences committed in London. This ranged from 123 in the London Borough of Lambeth
to just 12 in Kingston upon Thames
.
Measuring violent crime by borough made a perceived link between social disadvantage and crime, but borough perceptions have become incorrect and misinformed. The borough of Camden
for example, contains some of the most prosperous areas on the planet, but also some with very high poverty levels - leading to a misconception of the borough by many people.
by the Metropolitan Police, accounts for on average 40% of all violence against the person offences within the Metropolitan Police area and 45% of all violence against the person nationally. In England and Wales 'assault without injury' and harassment account for a further 38% of crimes recorded within the violence against the person category.
In 2008/09 there 70,962 assault with injury offences in London with a rate of 9.5 per 1,000 residents. This was slightly higher than the total rate for England and Wales, which was 7.0 per 1,000 residents.
Sources: Metropolitan Police Crime Mapping Data Tables, Crime in England & Wales 2008/09
Following the changes introduced by the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in 2002 the way assaults were categorised was dependent on injury therefore there was a significant jump in combined ABH and GBH nationally in 2002/03. Prior to NCRS minor injuries were counted as common assault although post NCRS any assault with injury would be categorised as ABH. Therefore looking at figures over time is of limited value as figures prior to 2002/03 are not comparable with the way certain violent crimes have been recorded since then. These changes were not reflected in the Metropolitan Police performance figures until 2004/05 when the rate almost doubled to 9.4 per 1,000 residents compared to 5.8 the previous year. In 2005/06 the rate of recorded ABH and GBH peaked both nationally and within the Metropolitan Police force area according to recorded statistics.
The British Crime Survey
or BCS is a systematic victim study
, currently carried out by BMRB Limited on behalf of the Home Office. The BCS seeks to measure the amount of crime in England and Wales by asking around 50,000 people aged 16 and over, living in private households, about the crimes they have experienced in the last year. The survey is comparable to the National Crime Victimization Survey
conducted in the United States
. The Home Office estimated that just 37% of violence with injury offences were reported to and recorded by police.
An advantage of the BCS is that it has not been affected by the changes in counting rules and the way crime is categorised because it is survey based. This makes it possible to observe national trends in crime over time. Crime in England & Wales 2008/09, shows BCS violence with injury to have peaked in 1995 and declined steadily since then. Between 1995 and 2008/09 the BCS estimates that violence with injury offences decreased 53.6% across England & Wales.
Sources: Metropolitan Police Crime Summary 2007, Metropolitan Police Interactive Crime Figures
Since 2000 there has been consistent fluctuations in the number of gun enabled recorded by the Metropolitan Police which peaked in 2003 when there were 4,444 recorded offences. The lowest number of offences recorded was potentially in 2008 where there were just 1,980 gun enabled crimes between December 2007 and November 2008, an unusually low figure in comparison to other years. Since then however gun enabled crime has increased 67% across London with 3,309 offences being recorded in the 12 months to November 2009.
Sources: Metropolitan Police Crime Summary 2007
Knife enabled crime figures are available from 2003 to 2007 and more recently monthly knife crime summaries are provided on the Metropolitan Police website showing financial year to date figures. Knife enabled offences increased from 2003 to 2004 and from then on saw annual reductions until 2007. It was not possible to retrieve statistics for 2008 and 2009.
The Metropolitan Police a number of operations that concentrate on knife and gun crime. They include Operation Trident and Trafalgar which deal with fatal and non-fatal shootings across London, Operation Blunt which was initially launched across 12 boroughs in 2004 to tackle knife crime and subsequently rolled out across the forces 32 boroughs in 2005 after early successes. Operation Blunt was re-launched as Operation Blunt II in 2008 with the aim of tackling serious youth violence. In addition to this there is the Specialist Firearms Command
formerly known as SO19.
Sources: Metropolitan Police Crime Data Tables (2000-01 to 2008-09 data), Crime in England and Wales Series (1996-1999 data)
Robbery offending across London fell almost 20% between 1996 and 1998 from 32,867 to 26,330 offences. Following changes in counting rules of crimes and the later introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard offences of robbery rose both nationally and within London. In London offences increased by 25% in 1999 compared with 1998. There was a 25% increase between 1999 and 2000/01 and a further 30% increase between 2000/01 and 2001/02 when the robbery rate in London peaked to 7.1 offences per 1,000 population. In March 2002 the government launched the 'Street Crime Initiative' with the aim of reducing robbery in the most affected police forces, including the Metropolitan Police. Nationally the 'Street Crime Initiative' achieved a reduction in robbery of 32% by March 2005. In London during the same period robbery reduced by 27% from 53,547 in 2001/02 to 39,033 in 2004/05. After the initiative had finished robbery offences increased and stayed at a rate of around 6.0 per 1,000 for the next two financial years, however, there has now been a steady annual decline in robbery rates across London since 2006/07.
The increases in robbery were largely attributed to the rise in youth on youth robberies across London with particular focus around schools and transport interchanges and increased usage and ownership of items such as mobile phones, one of the most commonly stolen items. The increases that followed the end of the street crime initiative were thought somewhat to be a result of the increased mobility of young people when the introduction of oyster cards to provide under-16s free travel on London's transport network was introduced.
. The figures showed that the majority of males who were accused of violent and sexual crimes (including those subsequently acquitted) in 2009–10 were black. Of the recorded 18,091 such accusations against males, 54 percent accused of street crimes were black; for robbery, 59 percent; for gun crimes, 67 percent; and for sexual offences, 32 percent.
Street crimes include muggings, assault with intent to rob, and snatching property.. Black males accounted for 29 percent of the male victims of gun crime and 24 percent of the male victims of knife crime. Similar statistics were recorded for females. On knife crime, 45 percent of suspected female perpetrators were black; for gun crime, 58 percent; and for robberies, 52 percent.
Operation Trident was set up in March 1998 by the Metropolitan Police
to investigate gun crime in London's black community after black-on-black shootings in Lambeth
and Brent
.
Between April 2005 and January 2006, figures from the Metropolitan Police Service showed that black people accounted for 46 percent of car-crime arrests generated by automatic number plate recognition
cameras.
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Sources: Homicide, Firearms Offences and Intimate Violence 2007/08, Crime in England & Wales 2007/08
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
is served by three police forces; the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
which is responsible for policing the vast majority of the capital and is geographically divided into 32 Borough Operational Command Units, the City of London Police
City of London Police
The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle and Inner Temple. The service responsible for law enforcement within the rest of Greater London is the Metropolitan Police Service, a separate...
which is responsible for The Square Mile of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, and the British Transport Police
British Transport Police
The British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
which polices the rail network and London Underground.
A fourth police force in London, the Ministry of Defence Police
Ministry of Defence Police
The Ministry of Defence Police is a civilian police force which is part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. The force is part of the larger government agency, the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency , together with the Ministry of Defence Guard Service...
, do not generally become involved with policing the general public. Within the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
crime statistic publications Greater London is referred to as the London Region.
Generally, every area in London has different crime rates. Several areas have issues with crime, while many others are very safe.
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Crime statistics
Until the late 1990s crime figures for varying crime types were not released to the general public at individual police force level. The annual publication 'Crime in England & Wales' produced by the Home Office began to break the figures down to a smaller area in 1996. Crime figures in England & Wales during the late 1990s and early 2000s were often misinterpreted in the media and scrutinised because of frequent changes in the way crimes were counted and recorded that lead to rises in the crime category 'Violence Against the Person'.Commenting on figures from 1 April 1998 onwards Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
said "changes in the way crime statistics are compiled are in line with recommendations by senior police officers. They are intended to give a more accurate picture of the level of offences". The largest increases were recorded in the Violence Against the Person category owing to the inclusion of Common assault
Common assault
Common assault was an offence under the common law of England, and has been held now to be a statutory offence in England and Wales. It is committed by a person who causes another person to apprehend the immediate use of unlawful violence by the defendant. It was thought to include battery...
figures to accompany other offence types within this category that include Assault occasioning actual bodily harm, Grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm is a term of art used in English criminal law which has become synonymous with the offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861....
, Harassment, Murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, possession of offensive weapons and a selection of other low volume violent crimes grouped together by the Metropolitan Police as 'Other Violence'.
The change in counting rules, and the significant impact it had on violence against the person figures, was often misconstrued by the media as real increases. The rises in violence resulting from this were highly publicised on an annual basis.
Today crime figures are made available nationally at Local Authority and Ward level. The Metropolitan Police have made detailed crime figures, broken down by category at borough and ward level, available on their website for the last 10 years.
Counting rules
A detailed breakdown of the way crimes are counted are available from the Home Office website. Recorded crime increased in England and Wales during most of the 1980s, reaching a peak in 1992, and then fell each year until 1998/99 when the changes in the Counting Rules resulted in an increase in recorded offences. This was followed by the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002 which led to a rise in recording in 2002/03 and 2003/04, as the rules bedded-in within forces. Up until 1998 crime figures were collected to cover a Calendar yearCalendar year
Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day. By convention, a calendar year consists of a natural number of days. To reconcile the calendar year with an astronomical cycle , certain years...
however this changed from 1998 when crime statistics began to be collated and grouped by Financial Year.
Violent crime
Crimes categorised as 'Violent Crime' by the Home Office are violence against the person, robberyRobbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
and sexual offences.
Homicide
Since 1990 there has been an average of 171 homicides committed each year across the 32 BOCUs in London. During this period the lowest annual figure was 139 in 1996 and the highest being 204 in the financial year 2003/04. Between 2003/04 and 2008/09 the number of annual homicides decreased by 27% from 204 to 148.| Crime rate | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide total | 184 | 184 | 175 | 160 | 169 | 167 | 139 | 190 | 159 | 146 | 171 | 190 | 189 | 204 | 182 | 168 | 162 | 156 | 148 | 136 |
| Homicide rate | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.9 |
Sources: International Comparison of CJS Statistics 1998, Metropolitan Police Performance Information, Metropolitan Police Crime Mapping Data Tables
.
The distribution of homicide offences in London can vary significantly by borough. Between 2000/01 and 2008/09 there were 1,570 offences committed in London. This ranged from 123 in the London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Lambeth
The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
to just 12 in Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
.
| Rank | Borough | Number of homicides 2000/01 to 2008/09 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lambeth London Borough of Lambeth The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:... |
123 |
| 2 | Southwark London Borough of Southwark The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:... |
96 |
| 3 | Newham London Borough of Newham The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the... |
95 |
| 4 | Hackney London Borough of Hackney The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council.... |
94 |
| 5 | Brent London Borough of Brent In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased... |
77 |
| 6 | Camden London Borough of Camden In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century... |
75 |
| 7 | Haringey London Borough of Haringey The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs... |
72 |
| 8 | Croydon London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name... |
63 |
| 9 | Ealing London Borough of Ealing The London Borough of Ealing is a borough in west London.-Location:The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London... |
63 |
| 10 | Tower Hamlets London Borough of Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks... |
56 |
| 11 | Waltham Forest London Borough of Waltham Forest The London Borough of Waltham Forest is in northeast London, England. Officially, it forms part of Outer London as it borders Essex. However, it can be seen that the NE London boundary does not extend far compared to elsewhere in the city... |
54 |
| 12 | Enfield London Borough of Enfield The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest... |
53 |
| 13 | Greenwich London Borough of Greenwich The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan... |
53 |
| 14 | Islington London Borough of Islington The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury... |
53 |
| 15 | Lewisham London Borough of Lewisham The London Borough of Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham... |
53 |
| 16 | Westminster City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary... |
53 |
| 17 | Wandsworth London Borough of Wandsworth The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London, England, and forms part of Inner London.-History:The borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and much of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, but... |
46 |
| 18 | Redbridge London Borough of Redbridge The London Borough of Redbridge is a London borough in outer north-east London. Its administrative headquarters is at Redbridge Town Hall in Ilford. The local authority is Redbridge London Borough Council.-Etymology:... |
41 |
| 19 | Hammersmith and Fulham | 37 |
| 20 | Barnet London Borough of Barnet The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the... |
36 |
| 21 | Hounslow London Borough of Hounslow -Political composition:Since the borough was formed it has been controlled by the Labour Party on all but two occasions. In 1968 the Conservatives formed a majority for the first and last time to date until they lost control to Labour in 1971. Labour subsequently lost control of the council in the... |
36 |
| 22 | Barking & Dagenham London Borough of Barking and Dagenham In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 1,937; and the area was characterised by farming, woodland and the fishing fleet at Barking. This last industry employed 1,370 men and boys by 1850, but by the end of the century had ceased to exist; replaced by... |
35 |
| 23 | Hillingdon London Borough of Hillingdon The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the... |
31 |
| 24 | Bromley London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:... |
29 |
| 25 | Havering London Borough of Havering The London Borough of Havering is a London borough in North East London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in Havering is Romford and the other main communities are Hornchurch, Upminster and Rainham. The borough is mainly characterised by suburban development with large... |
24 |
| 26 | Merton London Borough of Merton The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey... |
24 |
| 27 | Kensington & Chelsea Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a central London borough of Royal borough status. After the City of Westminster, it is the wealthiest borough in England.... |
22 |
| 28 | Bexley London Borough of Bexley The London Borough of Bexley lies in south east Greater London, and is a borough referred to as part of Outer London. It has common borders with the London Borough of Bromley to the south, the London Borough of Greenwich to the west, across the River Thames to the north it borders the London... |
18 |
| 29 | Sutton London Borough of Sutton The London Borough of Sutton is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It is one of the southernmost boroughs of London... |
17 |
| 30 | Harrow London Borough of Harrow The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough of north-west London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and other London boroughs: Hillingdon to the west, Ealing to the south, Brent to the south-east and Barnet to the east.-History:... |
16 |
| 31 | Richmond upon Thames London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is a London borough in South West London, UK, which forms part of Outer London. It is unique because it is the only London borough situated both north and south of the River Thames.-Settlement:... |
13 |
| 32 | Kingston upon Thames Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,... |
12 |
Measuring violent crime by borough made a perceived link between social disadvantage and crime, but borough perceptions have become incorrect and misinformed. The borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
for example, contains some of the most prosperous areas on the planet, but also some with very high poverty levels - leading to a misconception of the borough by many people.
Assault with injury
Assault with injury, currently compromised of Assault occasioning actual bodily harm and Grievous bodily harmGrievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm is a term of art used in English criminal law which has become synonymous with the offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861....
by the Metropolitan Police, accounts for on average 40% of all violence against the person offences within the Metropolitan Police area and 45% of all violence against the person nationally. In England and Wales 'assault without injury' and harassment account for a further 38% of crimes recorded within the violence against the person category.
In 2008/09 there 70,962 assault with injury offences in London with a rate of 9.5 per 1,000 residents. This was slightly higher than the total rate for England and Wales, which was 7.0 per 1,000 residents.
| Crime rate | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABH and GBH rate per 1,000 London | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 9.4 | 11.2 | 10.4 | 9.5 | 9.5 |
| ABH and GBH rate per 1,000 England & Wales | 3.6 | 3.8 | 6.2 | 7.6 | 8.6 | 9.0 | 8.4 | 7.5 | 7.0 |
Sources: Metropolitan Police Crime Mapping Data Tables, Crime in England & Wales 2008/09
Following the changes introduced by the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in 2002 the way assaults were categorised was dependent on injury therefore there was a significant jump in combined ABH and GBH nationally in 2002/03. Prior to NCRS minor injuries were counted as common assault although post NCRS any assault with injury would be categorised as ABH. Therefore looking at figures over time is of limited value as figures prior to 2002/03 are not comparable with the way certain violent crimes have been recorded since then. These changes were not reflected in the Metropolitan Police performance figures until 2004/05 when the rate almost doubled to 9.4 per 1,000 residents compared to 5.8 the previous year. In 2005/06 the rate of recorded ABH and GBH peaked both nationally and within the Metropolitan Police force area according to recorded statistics.
The British Crime Survey
British Crime Survey
The British Crime Survey or BCS is a systematic victim study, currently carried out by BMRB Limited on behalf of the Home Office. The BCS seeks to measure the amount of crime in England and Wales by asking around 50,000 people aged 16 and over , living in private households, about the crimes they...
or BCS is a systematic victim study
Victim study
A victim study is a survey, such as the British Crime Survey, that asks a sample of people which crimes have been committed against them over a fixed period of time and whether or not they have been reported to the police...
, currently carried out by BMRB Limited on behalf of the Home Office. The BCS seeks to measure the amount of crime in England and Wales by asking around 50,000 people aged 16 and over, living in private households, about the crimes they have experienced in the last year. The survey is comparable to the National Crime Victimization Survey
National Crime Victimization Survey
The National Crime Victimization Survey , administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, is a national survey of approximately 49,000 to 77,400 households twice a year in the United States, on the frequency of crime victimization, as well as characteristics and consequences of victimization...
conducted in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Home Office estimated that just 37% of violence with injury offences were reported to and recorded by police.
An advantage of the BCS is that it has not been affected by the changes in counting rules and the way crime is categorised because it is survey based. This makes it possible to observe national trends in crime over time. Crime in England & Wales 2008/09, shows BCS violence with injury to have peaked in 1995 and declined steadily since then. Between 1995 and 2008/09 the BCS estimates that violence with injury offences decreased 53.6% across England & Wales.
Gun and knife crime
Weapon enabled crimes are recorded by the Metropolitan Police when a weapon is used to assist a crime, e.g. a knife or gun enabled robbery. Recorded gun and knife enabled offences in London account for about 2% of total recorded crime. London Boroughs with the highest rates of gun and knife crime include Newham, Southwark, Hackney, Brent, Islington, Waltham Forest and Lambeth. Gun enabled crime figures are displayed on the Metropolitan Police website at borough level expressed as financial year to date comparisons but they are seldom made available for historical comparisons. Figures are available for calendar years 2000 to 2007 as shown in the table below.| Crime rate | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gun enabled crime | 2961 | 3250 | 4005 | 4444 | 4025 | 3744 | 3881 | 3327 | 3459 | 2525 | 3295 |
| Rate per 10,000 London | 3.9 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 4.4 |
Sources: Metropolitan Police Crime Summary 2007, Metropolitan Police Interactive Crime Figures
Since 2000 there has been consistent fluctuations in the number of gun enabled recorded by the Metropolitan Police which peaked in 2003 when there were 4,444 recorded offences. The lowest number of offences recorded was potentially in 2008 where there were just 1,980 gun enabled crimes between December 2007 and November 2008, an unusually low figure in comparison to other years. Since then however gun enabled crime has increased 67% across London with 3,309 offences being recorded in the 12 months to November 2009.
| Crime rate | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knife enabled crime | 10305 | 12985 | 12367 | 12301 | 10699 | 12345 | 12611 |
| Rate per 10,000 London | 13.7 | 17.3 | 16.5 | 16.4 | 14.3 | 16.4 | 16.8 |
Sources: Metropolitan Police Crime Summary 2007
Knife enabled crime figures are available from 2003 to 2007 and more recently monthly knife crime summaries are provided on the Metropolitan Police website showing financial year to date figures. Knife enabled offences increased from 2003 to 2004 and from then on saw annual reductions until 2007. It was not possible to retrieve statistics for 2008 and 2009.
The Metropolitan Police a number of operations that concentrate on knife and gun crime. They include Operation Trident and Trafalgar which deal with fatal and non-fatal shootings across London, Operation Blunt which was initially launched across 12 boroughs in 2004 to tackle knife crime and subsequently rolled out across the forces 32 boroughs in 2005 after early successes. Operation Blunt was re-launched as Operation Blunt II in 2008 with the aim of tackling serious youth violence. In addition to this there is the Specialist Firearms Command
Specialist Firearms Command
Central Operations Specialist Firearms Command is a Central Operations branch within Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service. The Command is responsible for providing a firearms-response capability, assisting the rest of the service, which is normally unarmed...
formerly known as SO19.
Robbery
Recording of robbery offences in England and Wales are sub-divided into Business Robbery (robbery of a business, i.e. a bank robbery) and Personal Robbery (taking an individuals personal belongings with force/threat). Annually business robbery offences in London account for on average 10% of total robbery offences.| Crime Rate | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Robbery Offences | 32867 | 28442 | 26330 | 32924 | 40992 | 53547 | 42496 | 40640 | 39033 | 45311 | 45771 | 37000 | 32555 | 33463 |
| Rate per 1,000 London | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 7.1 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.5 |
Sources: Metropolitan Police Crime Data Tables (2000-01 to 2008-09 data), Crime in England and Wales Series (1996-1999 data)
Robbery offending across London fell almost 20% between 1996 and 1998 from 32,867 to 26,330 offences. Following changes in counting rules of crimes and the later introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard offences of robbery rose both nationally and within London. In London offences increased by 25% in 1999 compared with 1998. There was a 25% increase between 1999 and 2000/01 and a further 30% increase between 2000/01 and 2001/02 when the robbery rate in London peaked to 7.1 offences per 1,000 population. In March 2002 the government launched the 'Street Crime Initiative' with the aim of reducing robbery in the most affected police forces, including the Metropolitan Police. Nationally the 'Street Crime Initiative' achieved a reduction in robbery of 32% by March 2005. In London during the same period robbery reduced by 27% from 53,547 in 2001/02 to 39,033 in 2004/05. After the initiative had finished robbery offences increased and stayed at a rate of around 6.0 per 1,000 for the next two financial years, however, there has now been a steady annual decline in robbery rates across London since 2006/07.
The increases in robbery were largely attributed to the rise in youth on youth robberies across London with particular focus around schools and transport interchanges and increased usage and ownership of items such as mobile phones, one of the most commonly stolen items. The increases that followed the end of the street crime initiative were thought somewhat to be a result of the increased mobility of young people when the introduction of oyster cards to provide under-16s free travel on London's transport network was introduced.
Race and crime
In June 2010 The Sunday Telegraph, through a Freedom of Information Act request, obtained statistics on accusations of crime broken down by race from the Metropolitan Police ServiceMetropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
. The figures showed that the majority of males who were accused of violent and sexual crimes (including those subsequently acquitted) in 2009–10 were black. Of the recorded 18,091 such accusations against males, 54 percent accused of street crimes were black; for robbery, 59 percent; for gun crimes, 67 percent; and for sexual offences, 32 percent.
Street crimes include muggings, assault with intent to rob, and snatching property.. Black males accounted for 29 percent of the male victims of gun crime and 24 percent of the male victims of knife crime. Similar statistics were recorded for females. On knife crime, 45 percent of suspected female perpetrators were black; for gun crime, 58 percent; and for robberies, 52 percent.
Operation Trident was set up in March 1998 by the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
to investigate gun crime in London's black community after black-on-black shootings in Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
and Brent
London Borough of Brent
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased...
.
Between April 2005 and January 2006, figures from the Metropolitan Police Service showed that black people accounted for 46 percent of car-crime arrests generated by automatic number plate recognition
Automatic number plate recognition
Automatic number plate recognition is a mass surveillance method that uses optical character recognition on images to read the license plates on vehicles. They can use existing closed-circuit television or road-rule enforcement cameras, or ones specifically designed for the task...
cameras.
Metropolitan force comparisons
Below are crime rate comparisons for London and the metropolitan districts of England in 2007/08 financial year.| Police force | Main city | Homicides | Firearms offences | Violence against the person |
Sexual offences | Robbery | Burglary (residential) | Theft of and from motor vehicles |
| London Region Greater London Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London... |
London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
2.2 | 45.3 | 23.2 | 1.2 | 4.9 | 8.0 | 16.0 |
| Greater Manchester Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the... |
Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
1.9 | 44.6 | 19.3 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 8.3 | 16.7 |
| West Midlands West Midlands (county) The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The... |
Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... |
1.6 | 37.5 | 20.5 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 6.9 | 13.1 |
| Merseyside Merseyside Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool... |
Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880... |
2.3 | 29.5 | 15.4 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 6.2 | 10.7 |
| South Yorkshire South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield... |
Sheffield Sheffield Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely... |
2.1 | 15.0 | 18.1 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 6.6 | 15.4 |
| West Yorkshire West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972.... |
Leeds Leeds Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial... |
2.1 | 15.1 | 17.7 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 8.5 | 13.2 |
| Northumbria Northumbria Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was... |
Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne... |
2.1 | 5.6 | 13.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 3.6 | 8.1 |
| England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
1.4 | 18.9 | 17.5 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 5.2 | 11.1 |
Sources: Homicide, Firearms Offences and Intimate Violence 2007/08, Crime in England & Wales 2007/08
Further information
- Home Office Interactive Maps of Local Authority Crime Data
- Metropolitan Police Crime Mapping Data Tables
- Metropolitan Police Crime Mapping Site
- Metropolitan Police Current Crime Data By Borough
External links
- www.crime-statistics.co.uk UK / London Crime Statistics and Crime Statistic Comparisons
- Government Office for London Data & Analytical Tools
- Greater London Domestic Violence Project
- Home Office Anti-Social Behaviour Action Website
- Home Office Crime Reduction Website
- Home Office Statistical Publications Archive
- Knife City - Carrying a knife. Its not a game
- London Against Gun and Knife Crime
- London Serious Youth Violence Board
- Metropolitan Police Operation Bumblebee Burglary Prevention Scheme
- Metropolitan Police Publication Scheme
- National Policing Improvement Agency Local Crime Mapping
- Operation Trident: Stop the Guns
- Youth Offending Service Statistics