Brian Paddick

The latest borough level recorded crime figures show that over the twelve months of the financial year 2007/8 Richmond borough was the safest in London in terms of total notifiable crime. There was also a sharp fall in robbery (32% over the year) vehicle crime (19%), criminal damage (23%), assaults (11%) and violent crime (11%). A separate survey of the public (the ‘crime survey’) showed the borough to be the second best in London on ‘police action’ and the third best on follow up.

Vincent Cable said: “these are encouraging figures and trends. There is little doubt that the build up of safer neighbourhood teams in each of the wards and the increase in police numbers over the last decade has done a great deal to reduce crime. But complacency is not in order. There is still a good deal of public anxiety about crime. And detection rates – 25% overall and 20% for burglary and personal robbery – is still very low despite recent improvements”.