Local clear up rates for robberies one of lowest in the capital
Newly released figures have shown that muggers have a much greater chance of getting away with their crime if they commit it in Hammersmith and Fulham. The borough has the second worst clear up rate for robberies in the capital. Of the 1,224 such crimes committed in the area only 8.8% were detected.
The figures were released to parliament in the wake of the murder of Tom Ap Rhys Price in Kensal Rise. His killers were career muggers who had graduated up from petty crime to more violent offences.
There was a wide divergence in the success rates for neighbouring boroughs. Ealing was the second worst in London only marginally below Hammersmith and Fulham with 8.7%
However, Hounslow was one of the best boroughs in London with more than double the rate of clear up. There were 783 robberies of which 149 were detected. One possible reason for the higher clear up rate is the active use made of the local media. Police officers recently praised the role of BrentfordTW8.com and ChiswickW4.com along with the local newspapers in keeping residents up-to-date on crime.
Robbery Clear Up Rates 2005/6
| Borough | Recorded | Detected | Detection Rate |
| Kingston upon Thames | 316 |
85 |
26.9% |
| Islington | 1,307 |
313 |
23.9% |
| Harrow | 828 |
178 |
21.5% |
| Hounslow | 783 |
149 |
19.0% |
| Bexley | 421 |
77 |
18.3% |
| Westminster | 1,518 |
274 |
18.1% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 424 |
74 |
17.5% |
| Merton | 587 |
100 |
17.0% |
| Bromley | 816 |
138 |
16.9% |
| Barking & Dagenham | 695 |
116 |
16.7% |
| Southwark | 2,791 |
456 |
16.3% |
| Sutton | 387 |
62 |
16.0% |
| Haringey | 1,919 |
281 |
14.6% |
| Brent | 2,247 |
312 |
13.9% |
| Enfield | 1,354 |
182 |
13.4% |
| Hackney | 1,778 |
228 |
12.8% |
| Havering | 393 |
50 |
12.7% |
| Redbridge | 1,249 |
152 |
12.2% |
| Tower Hamlets | 1,604 |
194 |
12.1% |
| Lambeth | 2,759 |
321 |
11.6% |
| Croydon | 1,711 |
196 |
11.5% |
| Camden | 1,212 |
138 |
11.4% |
| Greenwich | 1,145 |
125 |
10.9% |
| Hillingdon | 784 |
83 |
10.6% |
| Lewisham | 2,161 |
226 |
10.5% |
| Wandsworth | 1,565 |
156 |
10.0% |
| Kensington & Chelsea | 876 |
85 |
9.7% |
| Newham | 2,310 |
222 |
9.6% |
| Barnet | 1,131 |
108 |
9.5% |
| Waltham Forest | 2273 |
210 |
9.2% |
| Hammersmith & Fulham | 1,244 |
110 |
8.8% |
| Ealing | 1,886 |
164 |
8.7% |
December 29, 2006