Violent crime in Tower Hamlets has risen by 17% over the last year according to figures published by Metropolitan Police. The rise means an additional 1080 violent crimes in Tower Hamlets over the last twelve months rising from 6408 in 2012/13 to 7488 in 2013/14.
Across London, violent crime is up by 24% with 35,330 additional crimes Londonwide and rises in every borough.
The spike in violent crime comes after years of cuts to police resources with the latest figures showing the number of uniformed police and PCSOs in Tower Hamlets has fallen by 227 since the last General Election in May 2010.
The Met has previously said increased reporting of domestic violence and reclassification of crimes may account for the rise yet the increase in Domestic Violence reports in the last 12 months accounts for only a third of the overall violent crime rise across London.
John Biggs AM, Labour London Assembly Member for City & East, said:
“The 17% rise in violent crime in Tower Hamlets over the past year is extremely disturbing, it means an extra 1080 violent crimes compared with the year before. Equally as worrying is the fact Boris Johnson doesn’t seem to have a real handle on why violent crime is rising.
“If this had been a dramatic change in recording we would expect to see a one off spike. Instead what we are seeing is a worrying trend developing with overall violent crime across most categories on the up.
“Violent crime includes some of the most serious and worrying offences and people in Tower Hamlets are right to be concerned. The Mayor of London needs to see the jump in violent crime for what is, not a statistical anomaly but a growing problem they should be actively addressing.”
ENDS