Data Headlines
• Bike Theft – For this period,10 pedal cycle theft offences occurred considerably lower than last month’s 26 down by -62%, this is the second month in a row where crime has fallen in this area. April reported the highest month for this year so far compared to the previous period, It is worth noting this could be down to a number of significant arrest as well as increased Police visibility due to the nighttime economy.
• Shoplifting – Reports have decreased, with 52 reports compared to Novembers 63. June recorded the highest month for incidents at 72. The theft have remained consistent for 2 months in a row due to the Police presence in The City of London, both foot patrol and mobile. DWO’s and STT have been organising a number of Op Patella Hubs across the city, continuing regular contact with store managers and security.
• Burglary – There has been an increase in the number of business burglaries reported in December with 24 reports compared to 17 in November an increase of 41%, This is possibly due to the number of premises left empty over the Christmas period. Despite this increase, levels are still very much below levels seen this month in previous years. There have been 0 residential burglaries compared to 5 the previous month.
Operation illuminate
Chief Inspector Chris Hay lead more than 150 officers and special constables from across the force in the Christmas campaign Operation Illuminate during December. They patrolled the Square Mile in uniform and plain clothes, day and night, to prevent crime and provide help and reassurance to the public during the festive season. Launched on the 26th of November, it focused on the types of crime that traditionally impact our communities. Officers dealt with alcohol related violence, anti-social behaviour, acquisitive crime, and online shopping fraud.
During the campaign, personal safety, reassurance, and prevention messages were displayed on the street and issued through social media and on digital boards around the square mile. The messages received 201,901 impressions on Twitter in just seven days and reached 96 percent more Instagram accounts than the week before.
During the seven-week period there were 324 night-time economy related Offences recorded. This represents a 23% decrease compared to the seven-week period immediately prior to the OP ILLUMINATE campaign. Offending in licensed premises saw the largest reduction in offences – from 185 to 133 incidents (-28%). The reduction was primarily seen in Theft offences, particularly Theft from Licensed Premises which reduced from 88 incidents to 49. The number of snatches remained relatively stable with 32 incidents before the campaign and 27 incidents after the campaign a reduction of -16%.
Crime Prevention Advice
For crime prevention advice on a variety of offence types, please follow the following hyperlink for information and steps to take to increase safety – Crime prevention advice | City of London Police
For fraud related crime prevention advice, please follow this hyperlink – Advice about fraud | City of London Police