Robbery, sex offences and violent crime rise in Tower Hamlets, Met figures show
A police 'walkabout' street patrol in Bow. Picture source: LBTH - Credit: LBTH
Robbery, sexual offences and violent crime have risen, according to Met Police crime figures.
Terrence Baker, 29, died in hospital five months after an attack in the Isle of Dogs. Picture: Met Police - Credit: MPS
The number of violent crimes – including harassment, assault and grievous bodily harm (GBH) – increased by four per cent from 9,817 in 2016-17 to 10,232 in 2017-18.
In total there were six murders in the borough between April 2017 and March including 29-year-old Terrence Baker who died in November 2017 after being assaulted in Plevna Street, Cubitt Town, last June.
There was a 16 per cent increase in robberies in the 12 months to March compared to the year before. In total there were 1,550 incidents.
The Met’s asst commissioner Martin Hewitt said: “We continue to experience a very busy and challenging time against the backdrop of significant cuts.
Police at the scene of a fatal stabbing at Galleon House, Isle of Dogs. Picture: Ken Mears - Credit: Archant
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“I am very concerned about the rises, particularly of murder, violent and knife crime.
“My thoughts are with the victims’ families of these horrific crimes which have brought untold misery,” he added.
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The Met said it was doubling anti-knife crime efforts with more officers patrolling communities.
“There are complex reasons why more young people carry knives. Knife crime cannot be solved only by the police. We need the help of communities who we know are behind us,” the assistant commisioner said.
“We are reducing the number of young people injured in knife attacks. We have made record seizures of guns. Theft of scooters and scooter-enabled crime has seen a month-on-month downward trend.
“Despite the challenges ahead, we continue to focus on bringing offenders to justice, making the streets hostile territory for criminals, supporting victims and working with communities,” he added.
But there was a drop in burglaries from 3,128 compared to 3,311 over the same period.
There were 776 sexual offences in the borough between April 2017 and March 2018, 297 of which were rapes.
Recorded rape across the capital rose by 18pc in the comparison between April 2016 to March 2017 and April 2017 to March 2018.
Overall crime numbers rose 3.65pc in the borough between April 2016 and March 2018. This compared to an almost 6.5pc rise across the capital over the same period.