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CRIME IN CHISWICK Crime in the Borough of Hounslow down 7% in last year but street crime in Chiswick acknowledged to be a problem. A recent audit of crime by the borough police has revealed that Chiswick is home to two of the six robbery hotspots in the borough. Chiswick High Road and Turnham Green Terrace have been highlighted as areas with a high prevalence of crime. For the borough as a whole crime was down 7% in the period covered by the report (year to March 2001) but this was compared to an alarming rise the year before. Car crime is falling but street crime is rising at a rapid rate. This can be partly attributed to the number of thefts of mobile phones but there have been a number of serious attacks in Chiswick recently for example a knife point robbery near Turnham Green tube. Chief Superintendent Mike O'Brien said: "The toughest nut to crack is street crime which is going up, not just here, but across the country." Burglary is also a problem particularly in the Turnham Green Terrace/Bath Road area. A previous report by the borough police concludes that Chiswick is "not a significant crime hot-spot" but points to the particularly high level of vehicle crime. Local campaigners have disputed this conclusion pointing out that the percentage of crimes committed in Chiswick as a proportion of the total in Hounslow was roughly in line with the percentage of households in this area. One local resident accused the police of complacency saying: "The police consider Chiswick a safe area because they feel safe here but that is not always the experience of residents. Because of the perception of W4 as a relatively prosperous area it is a magnet for robbers across West London. Nobody mugs the police." The borough has been reluctant to install CCTV in the area because it feels other areas have a higher priority. At the moment crime information is posted on the discussion forum of this site by the crime prevention office at Chiswick Police Station. There are plans to extend this sharing of information to witness appeals and more serious crime. In addition stills from CCTV footage of crimes committed in Chiswick may be published. Crime in Chiswick - ward by ward Get notified of local crime through Ringmaster How safe are the underpasses under the A4?
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