Outcry as only 1% of muggers in the capital are convicted
‘Lost control of the streets’
BRITAIN’S biggest police force has been accused of letting criminals ‘get off scot-free’ as figures show that less than 5 per cent of rapes, muggings and burglaries are being solved.
The extent of the ‘crime epidemic’ engulfing London, which has been likened to America’s Wild West, has been laid bare by police data revealing spiralling crime rates and a drastic drop in detections.
In the past three years, reported rapes, armed robberies and residential burglaries have surged by more than a third in the capital. Yet the proportion of criminals being brought to justice has fallen sharply across almost all violent crimes.
In certain crime types, such as muggings, just 1 per cent of culprits are caught. The rate of sex attacks being has halved in just a year, with only 4 per cent of perpetrators being traced in the year to August compared to 10 per cent in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the proportion of residential burglaries being solved has also gone down by a sixth in the past three years, with only 4 per cent of break-ins being punished.
The figures come weeks after Metropolitan Commissioner Cressida Dick claimed ‘lawlessness’ in London was stabilising.
Stung by criticism that London was more dangerous than New York, Britain’s most senior officer insisted violence in the capital was waning, despite more than 100 murders this year, compared with 118 in the whole of last year. She said: ‘We have seen the rates of many categories of violent crime... as beginning to stabilise. I mean by that they are definitely not increasing, they are indeed flattening, and in some catego- ries they are reducing.’
But in reality, what is reducing is the number of criminals being caught. And it comes as the number of officers protecting the capital dipped below 30,000 – the lowest for 15 years. Yesterday Susan Hall, a Tory member of the London Assembly, urged Labour mayor Sadiq Khan to invest more in policing. She said: ‘It is clear that Sadiq Khan has lost control of the streets and criminals committing heinous crimes are getting off scot-free.
‘Despite having the budget for more police officers, the mayor is instead wasting millions, such as by increasing the culture budget and expanding his own PR operation.’
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: ‘The police are consistently working to ensure reporting methods improve and that victims have the confidence to report each case. This has inevitably led to a substantial rise in the number of cases. In addition to this, the time taken to investigate each case has also increased dramatically. Rape cases are complex. Disclosure of what is considered relevant material and analysis of material held on digital devices and obtaining third-party material in most cases can take months and clearly affects any outcome.’
A spokesman for Mr Khan said: ‘The mayor is doing everything he can to support the police, but it is down to Theresa May to honour her promise to end reckless austerity measures, which must start with halting the £325 million savings forced on the Met over the next three years.’