Neighbourhood Crime Drops Sharply in Hammersmith & Fulham
Met's focus on local policing appears to be getting results
Officers on patrol ahead of a game at Stamford Bridge. Picture: Met Police
July 27, 2026
Neighbourhood crime has fallen significantly in Hammersmith & Fulham over the past year, with the borough recording one of the largest reductions anywhere in London. New figures released by the Metropolitan Police show a 20 per cent fall in offences such as theft, personal robbery and vehicle crime — a drop that local officers attribute to more visible patrols, targeted operations and record investment in neighbourhood policing.
The borough’s results form part of a wider London-wide trend, with neighbourhood crime down 14 per cent across the capital in the 12 months to June. But Hammersmith & Fulham stands out among the strongest performers, alongside Westminster, Waltham Forest, Camden and Kensington & Chelsea.
The Met says the improvements follow months of intensified hotspot policing, with hundreds of additional officers deployed to areas experiencing persistent offending. Intelligence-led operations have focused on the individuals causing the most harm, while high-visibility patrols have been used to deter opportunistic crime and reassure residents.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the results demonstrate the impact of sustained neighbourhood policing. “Neighbourhood policing is about being visible, listening to Londoners and tackling the issues that matter most to them,” he said. “That focus is delivering results, with neighbourhood crime down 14 per cent across the capital.”
He added that despite financial pressures and fewer officers overall, the Met is bringing more offenders to justice through a combination of frontline presence and new technology.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said the reductions reflect record investment in local policing and the work of London’s Violence Reduction Unit. “There have been 35,000 fewer neighbourhood crimes – a drop of 14 per cent,” he said. “Robberies of personal property, thefts from person, residential burglaries and vehicle crime offences have all fallen London-wide in the last year.”
For Hammersmith & Fulham, the 20 per cent fall means hundreds fewer victims of neighbourhood crime. Officers in the borough have been using a mix of traditional policing and new tools — including drones, live facial recognition cameras and high-powered e-bikes — to identify suspects and disrupt criminal activity. Across London, officers are now arresting around 1,000 suspects each month and seizing knives, drugs, stolen mobile phones and illegal e-bikes.
Longer-term measures such as Criminal Behaviour Orders are also being used to restrict prolific offenders and prevent repeat offending in local neighbourhoods.
The Met’s renewed focus on neighbourhood crime comes as London enters its peak tourism season, with more than five million additional visitors expected over the summer. Extra officers have been deployed to hotspot areas, including those in Hammersmith & Fulham, to tackle issues such as anti-social behaviour, robbery and mobile phone theft.
The wider picture shows violent crime continuing to fall across the capital. In 2025, London recorded its lowest number of murders in more than a decade, while knife-enabled crime fell by 17 per cent. The rate of violence in London is now lower than in many major cities across the UK, Europe and the United States.
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