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Chief Supt Dominic Clout |
Credit crunch crime warning
Police ready to tackle recession fallout
THE borough’s senior police officer believes the recession may be contributing to a rise in burglaries and robberies and has warned: “I think it is going to be tough.”
After two years of sharp falls in crime, Camden is facing a steady rise in break-ins and vehicle thefts, while robberies are also on the increase, according to the latest crime figures from August.
“There is evidence from the Government Office for London that acquisitive crime is on the up because of the recession,” said Chief Supt Dominic Clout.
“Across the Met, burglary is up 9 per cent – we’re up 6 per cent [in Camden] – that equates to an additional 52 residential burglaries on last year.
“There is no doubt this is a challenge for us. We’re putting extra resources into all aspects of residential burglary – surveillance operations, forensics, and every residential burglary victim gets a visit from a police officer. We’re also doing extra patrols, but I think it is going to be tough.”
The Home Office statistics by which police are measured have shown dramatic falls for Camden in the past two years. But this year, along with burglaries, serious youth violence is up by more than a third (36 per cent), vehicle thefts are up 22 per cent, and robberies are up 7 per cent.
Chief Supt Clout said the “revolving door” of the prison system has meant burglars arrested during recent clamp-downs are returning to the borough.
“We’re getting offenders who were sentenced to prison for three years who are coming out after 18 months,” he said. “We keep them under observation but there is a degree to which we are starting again.”
The Borough Commander also warned that alarming figures over increases in gun and knife crime should be read with caution. According to the statistics, “gun-enabled” crime in Camden has more than doubled in the past year, while knife crime has increased by nearly a fifth. The figures show 37 gun-enabled crimes since April, up from 16 during the same period in 2008, but include occasions when victims suspected but did not see a gun, or where a replica was seen.
Chief Supt Clout said: “We have had about eight cases where an actual firearm is seen or discharged.” |
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