Neighbourhood crimes – such as burglary, robbery and theft - make up close to half of all crime recorded by the Met – and the number of these crimes has been rising in recent years.
In the year to January 2019, the Met recorded more than 80,000 burglaries alone[1].
The Mayor’s initiative[2] to give the Met more flexibility to focus their efforts on neighbourhood crimes has shown mixed results in its first two years.
There is some evidence that prioritising particular crimes can have some impact. But, we are concerned that the Mayor’s initiative could be undermined as the Met adapts to meet rising demand with finite resources. There is also a lack of awareness and understanding of local priority setting within local communities.
The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee has today written to the Mayor asking him to review the effectiveness of this local priority setting.
It recommends:
- An assessment of whether wider changes in the Met’s operations have impacted on the success of local priorities.
- An improvement in the transparency of data to gauge the success of local priority setting.
- A focus on ensuring that local communities understand and work with the police on this approach.
Steve O’Connell AM, Chairman of the Police and Crime Committee, said:
“Setting local neighbourhood crime priorities clearly has benefits. It brings policing closer to Londoners’ lives and helps tailor operations to the crimes that matter most to them.
“Two years in, though, and the overall impact of this approach remains unclear.
“To reach its potential, this scheme must take into account the impact of wider changes in the Met and beyond. The Mayor should take this opportunity for a review to ensure that it is as effective as possible.
“Londoners must be at the heart of crime fighting priorities in their neighbourhoods. There must be trust in the police and there must be confidence in their actions – that is how police and residents can work together to keep communities safe and secure.”
Related documents
Letter to Mayor - Neighbourhood Crime
Notes to editors
- MOPAC report to the Police and Crime Committee, 6 March 2019
- Outlined in the MOPAC Police and Crime Plan 2017-2021. In addition to the pan-London priorities, each borough chooses two priority crimes from the following list (based on local knowledge, crime data and police intelligence): common assault, non-domestic violence with injury, robbery of personal property, theft from motor vehicle, theft, taking of a motor vehicle, total burglary, theft from a person.
- Download and read the letter to the Mayor using the link below.
- Steve O’Connell AM, Chairman of the Police and Crime Committee, is available for interviews.
- The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee examines the work of the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), which oversees the Metropolitan Police. It also investigates key issues relating to policing and crime in London, including serious violence, front line policing, and counter-terrorism.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Giles Broadbent on 020 7983 4067. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.