Hackney Crime Plunge: Official

From the Hackney Gazette:

"Hackney has achieved an overall reduction in crime of 27 per cent since 2004 and is the first London borough to beat its target of a 20 per cent reduction. This was achieved by August, 2006, 18 months ahead of schedule. According to figures from the British Crime Survey, burglary was down by 44 per cent since 2004 when the 20 per cent reduction target was set. Robbery was reduced by 30 per cent, criminal damage was down by 26 per cent and violence was down by nine per cent. Theft from the person was also reduced by 27 per cent and motor vehicle crime by 36 per cent. The only rise was cycle theft, which was up by six per cent."

Is this crime plunge real? If not, why not? I'm waiting...

Comments

[swimmer6foot4]

My suspicions are always aroused when officials start quoting statistics like this. If they are boasting short term drops in crime it is worthwhile checking if there has been a long-term rise, maybe. If they quote a long-term drop - look out for a recent rise in offences. In this case they admit to a rise in cycle theft. Funny that ... because nicking a bike (along with fraud and criminal damage) is the area of crime statistics where Hackney tends to dip below the England & Wales average. However, Hackney scores between two and four times higher than the England & Wales average in all other areas of crime.

The number of homophobic attacks has been lost in the statistics (they've been high and rising, thanks, TRUCE!) but there was the record of a substantial rise in sexual offences in first quarter 2006, (149) a massive increase of 58 offences over the final quarter 2005 (91). That's 7 offences per 10,000 Hackney residents, compared with 3 per 10,000 England&Wales population. I'm not having a dig at our boys and girls in blue, honest guv, but the officials are keeping mum on that, surely?

http://tinyurl.com/22ymlo

[Dave Hill]

Hi Swimmer. Thanks for that. I must look into it properly. My suspicions were initially triggered by Tony McNulty turning up - not very scientific but can you blame me? Anyway, where have you been lately?

[swimmer6foot4]

I reckon Tony McNulty turns up in Hackney, along with all the other low and middle ranking ministers, because they are guaranteed a friendly reception. Not because of any great achievements here, just because we have a surplus of one valuable government resource; sycophants.

Thanks for noticing my absence. Bless! I've been enjoying NHS hospitality for a while (pleasant food, wonderful nurses, dedicated doctors. Overall crap treatment though; thanks to Government budget cuts imposed on the NHS).

Lots of coughs and sneezes among frontline staff (surgery, etc). "Have you had your flu' jab? I'd ask them. "No, we have to pay for them!" they'd reply.