Big divergence between clear up rates in neighbouring boroughs

Newly released figures have shown that muggers have a much greater chance of getting away with their crime if they commit it in Hammersmith & Fulham or Ealing as opposed to Hounslow.

The first two boroughs have the worst record of any in London for catching people responsible for robberies with Ealing right at the bottom with a clear up rate of just 8.7% on the 1,886 offences of this kind committed.

The figures were released to parliament in the wake of the murder of Tom Ap Rhys Price in Kensal Rise. His killers were career muggers who had graduated up from petty crime to more violent offences.

In Hounslow borough there were 783 robberies of which 149 were detected. One possible reason for the higher clear up rate is the active use made of the local media. Police officers recently praised the role of BrentfordTW8.com and ChiswickW4.com along with the local newspapers in keeping residents upto date on crime.

Hounslow Borough had been promptly distributing the descriptions of suspects to the public and with on-line media this meant that in some cases the public could be on the look out for muggers just hours after they had committed their crime. Descriptions of individuals subject to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders have also been published on the web sites leading to valuable intelligence.

A spokesperson for Ealing police said, "We are fully committed to reducing street robbery on Ealing Borough and we have had success. In the year 2001/02 there were over 2,100 recorded offences of street crime on the borough compared to 1,886 offences in 2005/06. These stats equate to a 10.5% reduction in offences and over 220 less victims. Street crime has always been a priority in Ealing Borough and at present it is our No. 1 priority. "

Police in the borough currently deploy a wide range of crime reduction tactics, which include covert policing, Stop and Search tactics on known offenders and increased uniform policing in robbery hotspot areas to increase public reassurance. They are actively targeting known drugs addresses, as they act as generators for crime and disorder in their areas. The rollout, ahead of schedule, of the Safer Neighbourhoods teams this year has increased the levels of visible policing.

Robbery Clear Up Rates 2005/6

December 14, 2006