Westminster is capital’s most crime-ridden borough, data reveals

New data has revealed crime in London is on the rise, up 15 per cent year-on-year, with reports of theft, robbery and sexual offences at an all-time high. 

The data, collated by London criminal defence solicitors Lawtons, analysed the total crimes per 1,000 people in each borough for the past three years. 

Westminster came out on top as the most crime-ridden borough, with criminal offences in the area reaching nearly 100,000 in the past year alone, more than double the number of reports in the next highest borough, Tower Hamlets.

Across the capital levels of theft have nearly doubled since 2021, reaching more than ver 27,000 reported incidents in 2023. 

Drug offences, on the other hand, are the only crime to have fallen across London- down 20 per cent in two years. 

Post-pandemic,  levels of drug crime reached an all-time high of 47, 000 reported offences, and two years later this fell to 38,000.

The data comes in the wake of the new Government’s crackdown on crime.

The Labour party have promised to tackle crime rates across the UK, bringing in a number of precautionary measures in a bid to “take back our streets”.

Nick Titchener, criminal defence solicitor at London law firm Lawtons Solicitors, said: “Crime and public safety is a top priority as the party pledge to introduce a new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, restoring patrols to town centres by recruiting thousands of new police officers, police and community support officers, and special constables. 

“Communities and residents will have a named officer to turn to when things go wrong.”

(Picture: PxHere)