Street crime update

Report: 20
Date: 11 December 2003
By: Commissioner

Summary

The report focuses on Street Crime performance since the launch of Operation Safer Streets Phase III that commenced on 29 September. It outlines plans for future phases during this performance year. It also outlines a plan of action based on a set of good practices derived from the lessons learned from this phase of Operation Safer Streets.

A. Recommendations

That the report be noted.

B. Supporting information

Offences (Classified/Confirmed)

1. The latest current year on year totals up to 19 November for Street Crime shows a 1.7% reduction for Financial Year To Date.

Chart 1: MPS street crime offences Apr 2002- Oct 2003 (see supporting material)

2. October shows the largest month on month decrease (-7.6%) so far this year. The two weeks following OSS3, 13–26 October, have shown a 12% decrease in offences against the same weeks last year and the 27 October - 16 November has shown an 11%** decrease in offences against the same weeks last year. This would suggest a possible diffusion of benefits occurring in the weeks following high intensity BOCU operations (co-ordinated centrally but locally driven) resulting in many robbers being arrested (see page 4 for further details). This on first analysis reinforces the link between taking offenders off the streets and reducing crime.

3. Week ending 16 [1] November shows the highest week on week decrease this year (Appendix 1, Chart 1), and offences for the w/e 19 October 2003 are the lowest since w/e 3 December 2000 (excluding Christmas weeks).

4. Predictions - If the 7.7% reduction seen in October 2003 against October 2002 continues for the remainder of the financial year the number of Street Crime offences for FY 03/04 would be 56723 giving a 3.7% reduction on FY 02/03.

Chart 2: Changes in street crime offences before and after OSS3 (see supporting material)

Allegations

5. Allegations for the 5 weeks following OSS3 have shown a decrease of 12% compared to the same weeks last year (appendix 1, chart 2) Allegations for November to date against the same period last year show an 11.6% reduction, indicating that the reduction seen in October is continuing.

MPS borough performance

6. Half of the MPS (16 boroughs) saw a decrease in Street Crime for October 03 against the same month in 2002. This gave the MPS a net reduction of 367 offences.

Chart 3: Changes in volume of street crime Oct 2003 v Oct 2002 (see supporting material)

7. Ten boroughs had a reduction of over 20%. Westminster and Lambeth are the top performing boroughs in volume reduction, with both having a decrease of over 100 offences.

8. Hackney has shown the highest increase by volume; consequently, it has had a significant impact on the MPS overall totals. Three Boroughs, Bexley, Greenwich and Redbridge showed a higher percentage increase than Hackney, however, as they are relatively low volume boroughs there joint volume increase is less than Hackney’s.

Arrests

9. A total of 1,129 robbers were arrested during OSS3. This total comprised 478 individuals arrested specifically for a Robbery or Snatch offence and 651 people arrested for other offences but were known Robbers/Snatchers.

10. The Top boroughs shown on the chart below (full details in the appendix section) were: Lambeth/ Southwark (they had a joint operation during OSS3), Westminster and Camden. Importantly, those boroughs had the most noted decrease in Street Crime in October.

Chart 4: Total number of robbers arrested during OSS3 (see supporting material)

Patterns in street crime - robbery vs snatches

11. There has been a noted change in the proportions of the Street Crime offences. The slip between personal Robbery and Snatches has constantly decreased since 1998.

12. The impact of mobile phones and the Safer Streets emphasis on Robbery could explain the increase in Snatches with the corresponding decrease in personal Robbery.

Chart 5: Personal robbery / theft snatch ratio since 1998 (see supporting material)

Judicial Disposals

The JD rate for April to October 2003 is 8.6%. The JD rate has risen for the last two months and, for October 2003, it was 11.6%.

Six boroughs had a Judicial Disposal rate of over 20% for October, they were Kingston, Greenwich, Westminster, Sutton, Merton and Ealing.

Chart 6: October Judicial JD rates (see supporting material)

Operation Safer Streets phase III

13. The first focused activity of Phase III took place between 29 September – 13 October, followed by another from 29 October – 7 November to address the Halloween and Bonfire Night peak crime times. Further focused activity phases will take place from 8 – 14 December and 14 – 24 January to address Street Crime peak offending periods. Further operational phases will follow dependent on predictive analysis of the intelligence picture.

14. During these periods all Boroughs focus their resources towards reduction in street crime offences. The Territorial Policing Tasking & Co-ordinating Meeting ensures that other MPS Business Groups, British Transport Police, City of London Police and Royal Parks Police are co-ordinating their resources in support of the initiatives.

15. Operation Safer Streets III continues to provide the MPS with the ability to:

• Re-launch activities to drive third & fourth quarter performance
• Develop the TP Tasking and Operational Management processes
• Drive cross-border intelligence liaison and operational activity
• Assess and distribute Best Practice learning on Street Crime issues

16. Territorial Policing Crime Directorate (TPCD) have issued Street Crime Management Instructions to all Boroughs in the MPS. This amalgamation of best practice has also been circulated to all forces in the Street Crime Initiative through the national co-ordinators forum. This supports previous guidance from TPCD issued to the same parties regarding False Reporting of Street Crimes focusing on mobile phone issues.

Three boroughs stretch initiative

17. Wandsworth, Croydon and Waltham Forest Boroughs received extra Home Office funding in order to achieve an extra 4% Street Crime reduction for the MPS. They are instigating a number of measures that are now being reflected in the number of offences as detailed below.

18. Offences for Sep & Oct 2003 against the same period last year show a reduction of 2.2% across the MPS. Wandsworth and Croydon showed a reduction of 23.3% and 22.0% respectively. For the same period Waltham Forest show an increase in offences of 25.7%.

19. Allegations for 1st Sep – 18 Nov against the same period last year show a reduction of 5.6% across the MPS. Wandsworth and Croydon show a reduction of 7.8% and 12.6% respectively, whilst Waltham Forest show an increase of 11.9%. For 1st –18 November 2003 Waltham Forest have achieved a reduction of 36.7% on the same period last year.

Funding issues for MPS re Operation Safer Streets

20. This year’s Government funding of £8.3million is allocated to the Operation Safer Streets work for 2003/04. Funding is also available through the Territorial Policing Contingency Fund.

21. All London Boroughs benefit from this funding this year and all receive specific funding linked to the OSS III activity phases.

C. Equality and diversity implications

1. To meet reduction targets for Street Crime, stop and search may increase across boroughs. The MPS remains aware that any Street Crime initiatives using stop and search must be evidence-based.

2. It is worthy of note that the Disproportionality sub-group of what is now the London Crime Reduction Delivery Board, has the overall aim of monitoring any disproportionality issues relating to the activities of agencies involved in achieving the Street Crime reduction targets and to report progress through the LCRDB.

D. Financial implications

As can be seen in paragraphs 21 and 22, the costs for OSS3 has been centrally funded and additional funds, set aside under the auspices of the Territorial Policing Contingency Fund, are also available to all the London Boroughs to assist in the running of operations.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: DCS Douglas, TP Crime Directorate, MPS.

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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