The borough is the safest in inner London.
Crime is falling in Wandsworth, inner London’s safest borough, according to latest Metropolitan Police figures.
Incidents of violent offences, gang-related hostility and gun crime all decreased, maintaining Wandsworth’s position as the inner London district with the lowest crime rate per person.
Criminal offences in the area fell by 3.1 per cent over the past year and Wandsworth’s crime count has fallen by over a thousand in the last two years.
Chief Inspector Steve McSorley, from Wandsworth Police, said: “We’re pleased to be inner London’s safest borough and we’ll continue to work to make Wandsworth safer still.”
Over half of the crimes reported to Wandsworth Metropolitan Police were related to anti-social behaviour and incidents of serious violence had a crime rate of just 0.15.
Councillor Jonathan Cook, Wandsworth’s community safety spokesman, says there have been fewer incidents of violent crime, a decrease in residential burglaries, less racial and homophobic crime and a significant decline in car related crimes.
He admitted: ‘‘However, we cannot be complacent and, alongside police and other local partners, we must continue working hard to cut crime further.’’
Crime levels vary significantly across the borough’s wards, Thamesfield’s crime count and crime rate are over four times that of Wandsworth’s West Hill.
Reactions to the news that Wandsworth is yet again inner London’s safest borough have also varied.
Chairman of Wandsworth BC Transport Committee, John Locker tweeted: ‘‘Reassuring to hear crime is falling in Wandsworth and lowest of inner London boroughs’’.
However Wandsworth resident John Mahon wrote on the wandsworth.gov.uk news comment section: ‘‘Nonsense. Not my experience. Attacked in street, driven out of home.’’
Photo courtesy of anemoneprojectors, with thanks.
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