A staggering 80 per cent of all crime in Hackney and Islington goes unsolved - shock new figures suggest.
A staggering 80 per cent of all crime in Hackney and Islington goes unsolved, shock new figures suggest.
According to the Greater London Authority’s information website London Datastore, in the last financial year both boroughs reported only having 20 per cent of crime solved – compared to 27 per cent nationwide.
In Islington this equates to a whopping 22,223 crimes going unsolved in 2012/13 and 22,303 in Hackney.
The numbers were revealed by Jennette Arnold, London Assembly Member for both boroughs, who said less crime was now being solved in the areas than there was when Boris Johnson came to power.
According to London Assembly figures, in 2008/09 28 per cent of crimes were solved in Islington and 32 per cent in Hackney.
Miss Arnold said: “It is shocking that overall reported crime is down yet the percentage of unsolved crimes in Hackney and Islington is up to 80 per cent.
“Boris talks big about reported crime going down, but so far he has ignored that the number of crimes actually solved on his watch has plummeted. Compared to the average in England and Wales, London is trailing on the number of crimes solved, when we should be setting the gold standard.”
Miss Arnold further attacked the Mayor of London, saying the fall in solved crimes comes at a time when Islington has lost 138 police officers and Hackney 145.
She said: “Victim satisfaction in London is lower than elsewhere in the UK and this is not acceptable. The Mayor must act now.”
A spokesman for the Mayors Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) told the Gazette crime in London was falling faster than anywhere else in the country.
He said: “We are working closely with the Met to improve detection rates and the commissioner has said he wants to see these increased to one in three.
“It is wrong to say that police numbers in the capital are being cut – London is bucking the national trend and is actively recruiting 5,000 new officers.
“By selling under-used, neglected buildings, we are ploughing the proceeds back into frontline policing so that the capital will benefit from an additional 2,600 officers on the streets.”
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