Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan consultation

I have seen crime skyrocket to the point that noone bats an eye any more when people brazenly steal from shops. People aren't reporting crimes because they know it won't be dealt with. I loved this city 10 years ago. Now i feel i have to leave.

It’s shocking how common theft has become in London—every day we see or hear about someone having their phone or bag stolen, with nothing being done about it. This doesn’t just make people feel unsafe; it undermines trust in the system. London has become a laughing stock globally. If we can’t even protect people’s small personal belongings, how can we be trusted to handle more serious crimes?
 

I personally experienced an armed robbery at home in Chelsea, and despite all the CCTV coverage across London, nothing was done, and the people responsible were never caught. It’s incredibly disheartening and makes you feel like there’s no accountability or protection.

We should look to cities like Dubai, where theft is almost non-existent. They have strict laws, a strong police presence, and make excellent use of technology like CCTV and AI to deter and catch criminals. London could adopt aspects of this approach, such as:

• Increasing police presence: A visible presence on the streets, especially in high-crime areas, would act as a deterrent and reassure residents.

• Better use of technology: We need smarter, AI-driven surveillance to track offenders and actually hold them accountable.

• Harsher penalties: For crimes like theft and armed robbery, stricter consequences would send a clear message that crime won’t be tolerated.

• Community involvement: Encouraging bystanders and local businesses, like security guards, to intervene safely could foster a collective sense of responsibility for safety.

These steps won’t solve everything, but they could start to rebuild trust and make London feel like a city that prioritizes the safety of its residents and visitors.

Police are INVISIBLE. Seeing one is a rarity, no wonder criminals carry out their crimes with impunity. 

If one sees a crime, where is the nearest police station? usually miles away!

Figures might show that crime is not increasing. The reason for this is 1) MANY CRIMES ARE REJECTED AT POLICE STATIONS AS OF LITTLE IMPORTANCE.   2)  CONFIDENCE OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC HAS DIMINISHED TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT WE DO NOT BOTHER TO REPORT CRIMES.

The only crimes one reports is for insurance purposes.

The order of responsibility of a government to its citizens are 1) Defence  2) CIVIL ORDER 3) HEALTH  4)EDUCATION

Police are supposed to keep civil order, which includes safety and security of the public. Unfortunately they are failing at this (with all the best of intentions) due mainly to lack of numbers of police officers.

This MUST be a priority. 

There is a serious lack of safety in London. I was attacked and had my phone stolen a month ago in broad daylight in Westminster. No one did anything to help. The police never contacted me after refilling my online report, and the only comment I got from my friends was that I was 'lucky no one attacked me with a knife.' So I guess I should consider myself lucky. 

P.s. This incident marks the second time I’ve been targeted in the past three years. While the first attempt was unsuccessful, this time, the consequences have been severe. My stolen phone contained highly sensitive information and access to private architectural projects, potentially affecting many important individuals.

As other have mentioned, police does not investigate "petty" crime such as burglaries, phone snatchings, shoplifting etc.

There needs to be more visible police presence in London, and more effective enforcement of existing laws to the point of sentencing.

If it means paying more tax to support larger police force and construction of new prisons as the existing ones are overcrowded - so be it.

I'm a disabled person and definitely don't feel safe if I'm out and about in public places on my own, I usually try to go with an able bodied person.  I don't like going out after dark (if I can help it), obviously in winter I do need to be out after the sun sets (as I volunteer and have book club that takes me out after 5pm).  I like seeing police on the streets as it makes me feel a LOT safer as I know they are there to protect me if I need it.  I think the idea of having police at or near shops at school leaving time is a brilliant idea as I know that shop owners HATE having groups of school children in their shops as they can form a cordon around theft so the shop owner is unaware of the items being taken sadly.  

Our officials should examine the criminal justice policies of other major global cities such as Singapore and Dubai, why is it that those cities have vanishingly low levels of both petty and serious crime? 

The answer is because those countries have extremely harsh prison sentencing and a 'zero-tolerance' approach, e.g. you cannot get away with snatching someone's phone in those places, they will track you down and you will 100% go to prison or get deported immediately.

I wish London and the UK would abandon its soft-sentencing approach, most crime is committed by a small number of repeat offenders who are only allowed to be prolific criminals because of soft-sentencing; you cannot reoffend when you are in prison. Try 10 year mandatory minimums for burglary and all the prolific burglars would soon be in prison for a decade, the burglary rate would collapse.

Singapore and Dubair clearly show there is an alternative approach which results in vastly lower crime, let's think outside the box and challenge the orthodoxy of soft-sentencing.

I am a ward panel member of the SNT. The constant movement of officers within the met means that it is virtually impossible for the community to build any worthy relationship. Further they used to provide newsletters, another cut and loss of communication especially for the elderly.

I felt safer in my local area when we had local police services.  We no longer have a police station and never see a police officer on the streets.  If I had a problem that wouldn’t merit a 999 call, e.g. if I found lost property on the street (I once found a Cartier watch and took it to the police station), or was robbed,  i have no idea how to contact the police and actually speak to someone.  Shop lifting is now so common in my neighbourhood that the shops lock their doors and you have to ring the bell to get in - even my local pharmacy.  I think this is directly attributable to the lack of police presence.  

the police need to be more pro-active on the beat. what we see at the moment are police in pairs talking to each other ignoring what is going on around them. 

Every pavement cyclist needs to be fined and searched for drugs or weapons.

All small offences need to be dealt with to prevent escalation of problems. Pavement cycling only became a problem because the police refused to deal with them when the problem started.

Sort out e-bikes (and get cyclists generally to be more aware and considerate of pedestrians) so that elderly and vulnerable can feel safe, and raise standards and revenue at the same time.

My community is very concerned about pavements: - wheelchair access frequently blocked by dumped e-bikes; littering; street-clutter like bins, bin bags, bikes, signs, etc; bumpy and uneven pavements and disrepair causing trip hazards or unuseable routes. These plus new cycle lanes, cyclists jumping lights and using pavements, are making pedestrians, especially the vulnerable, disabled or elderly, feel very unsafe going out. I'm hearing about people's neighbours who are housebound because they've been run over by a bike and are now scared to go out, wheelchair-users who have run out of battery and been stranded after being forced to go round the long way by a blocked pavement, being dazzled by oncoming bike's bright lights or not seeing a cyclist because they have no lights...  

It feels like pedestrians (public transport users) are the lowest priority yet we have the lowest carbon footprint, the ones staying active or trying to. By all means promote cycling but please protect pavements, because as pavements become unuseable people are staying at home, exercising less, feeling less healthy and less connected to community. This is going to cost a lot in extra healthcare and lost business.  

Start to fix the problems by requiring all e-bike hire companies to set a geo-fence preventing riding on all pavements, to restrict bike parking to designated zones - repurpose some car parking bays and only allow pavement parking where the pavement is very wide (3m+), and require hire riders to pass a short online/app test every year to start/continue riding. Build an effective complaints app for victims of inconsiderate riders/parkers and fine companies. Put registration plates on all e-bikes to stop the bad riding impunity, and tax/numberplate all e-bikes that are actually e-motorbikes. 

I’m facing significant safety concerns in my area. Homeless individuals are occupying communal spaces in my building for shelter, parcels are frequently stolen from my porch, and electric bike thieves in the neighborhood even attempted to snatch my phone.

There are also drug dealers operating both in my building and on the local high street.

I was recently stalked by someone in my local park, which has already been the site of a murder in recent years.

It seems like everyone I talk to shares the same sentiment: London just doesn’t feel safe anymore.

I do not feel safe in London - but judging from all I have witnessed in the recent years, criminals clearly do. Whether it’s due to police underfunding or operational guidelines the police force receive, “low value” crimes are not investigated or pursued - and thus can be perpetrated with impunity.

We have effectively created a safe space for shoplifters, bike thieves, phone and purse snatchers, small-time drug pushers and others. And because such people are allowed to operate freely, their numbers and blatancy have grown exponentially - and will continue to do so.

Unless we tackle this low-level crime, London will continue all the way down the broken-window path.

I don’t feel safe in my neighbourhood or the area of central London where I work because of rampant low level crime, particularly very visible mobile phone and property snatching from masked bike and motorcycle thieves. Tolerating this kind of crime with no consequence creates an unsafe environment and makes me even more concerned about more serious crime like knife crime.

I have witnessed shoplifting several times where the criminal walks out of the store with no consequence as they know they will not be prosecuted.

More police on the streets out enforcing public safety and preventing everyday and what is seen to be low level crime is essential, alongside action to tackle the organised gangs of criminals that are stealing mobile phones. 

I'm highly disappointed by the amount of fluff in this draft proposal. Ask, and the vast majority of Londonders will tell you that they simply don't want their phone to be stolen while walking down the street.

Aside from this, we have rampant unpunished shoplifting and petty theft. Please just enforce existing laws against these small crimes that lower everyone's quality of life.

I am so sick of brazen criminal activity in my area being completely ignored and unchallenged. Every time I report a crime the case just gets closed because the police don't have the resources to deal with it. Every time I go to the supermarket I see someone shoplifting. Please stop wasting money on these surveys and drafting these abstract plans and just fund the police enforce the law. You are completely overcomplicating things. 

A large amount of violence is coming from pubs and clubs in central London that are no policing the usage of drugs or enforcing. The councils such as Westminster don’t enforce any licensing - and staff at these venues are told not to speak up or report to the police to ensure they maintain their licences. 

This and the abundance of phone snatchers. 

Honestly I don’t feel safe and I disagree that some document will improve the situation when it’s so dire. The issue is that the police side with the venues and I’ve been a victim first hand to be able to state this where drugs were involved and the police sided with the venue.  

There are so many ways to feel unsafe in the street and none of them feel like they're being tackled. Phone theft is rampant and sometimes violent, and there's no visible attempt to investigate it even though it must be organised groups. Cyclists and especially mopeds constantly run red lights, coming within cms of missing pedestrians who are crossing in what should be a safe area/ at a pedestrian crossing. Women don't feel able to walk home alone at night (I realise there is a specific topic for this but it's relevant here too) and may not be able to trust the Met Police to hire officers who are safe to go to for help. The police are able to do nothing about cars being broken into. There are laws against all of this, so what's missing is enforcement. Police need more funding and more support to get these things sorted. 

Whilst this may provoke some discomfort among some consultees (and perhaps the Mayor himself), a "broken windows" approach to policing in many parts of London is now sorely overdue.

This theory was pioneered in NY and LA in the 90/00s, the theory being that small crimes being ignored (e.g. vandalism, public use of drugs) emboldened criminals to carry out bigger crimes.

It is a controversial idea because some believe that crime is primarily a result of the unfortunate circumstances of criminals and improving those circumstances should be the preferred approach. Whilst that may be a valid and noble approach it is not the only approach available and a "toolkit" approach should be used with broken-windows policing a key part.

A broken-windows approach would require Met officers to intervene and investigate in lower level "quality of life" offences and this would undoubtedly need additional resource. But the experience of LA and NY (at the time) shows this can work.

The City of London operates a robust "broken windows" style approach. The City's Queen Victoria Street (City Police) is immeasurably safer and more pleasant than Westminster's (Met jurisdiction) Victoria Street despite a similar style, context, land use, and mixture of commuters. Form your own conclusions.