MAPPED: Five crime hotspots in Sadiq Khan's London - as Mayor prioritises decriminalising drugs

THEFT - WESTMINSTER

The City of Westminster plays host to Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, some of the capital's tourist hotspots, and New Scotland Yard itself.

But Met data reveals that the borough is a crime hotspot - and tops the list of almost all crime data recorded over the last four years.

Just under 200,000 thefts have been recorded in Westminster since May 2021, peaking last December as visitors flocked to locations like Leicester Square and Soho.

Data reveals that theft rates tend to rise around Christmas, before dropping down to around 4,500 per month in the summer, then bottoming out at around 3,500 in late autumn.

VIOLENCE AGAINST THE PERSON - CROYDON

Over the last four years, Croydon on London's southern tip has recorded the highest level of "violence against the person" in the capital.

Unlike theft in Westminster, there appears not to be a cyclical pattern to Croydon's crime, with VATP rates averaging 923 incidents per month in the borough.

High-profile incidents in Croydon include the murder of 15-year-old Elianne Andam by Uganda-born Hassan Sentamu - one of 22 homicides there since May 2021.

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PUBLIC ORDER OFFENCES - TOWER HAMLETS

Westminster and Croydon tend to top the borough crime rankings across all different crimes, according to Met data.

And with those two aside, Tower Hamlets in London's old East End has reported the highest rates of public order offending across the capital, with 9,681 having taken place in the last four years.

The borough, which plays host to Sadiq Khan's office at City Hall, records an average of 202 public order offences every month.

That peaked in September 2023, when 260 such crimes took place.

ARSON AND CRIMINAL DAMAGE - LAMBETH

In Lambeth, which contains Waterloo Station, the London Eye and the National Theatre, some 8,758 arson and criminal damage offences have unfolded since May 2021.

The borough, which also holds the Archbishop of Canterbury's London home and areas like Brixton, sees an average of 182 such crimes every month - which peaked last August at 221.

Of the two crimes in the dataset, criminal damage outstrips arson 30 to one - with 8,477 incidents of the former in the last four years, and 281 of the latter.

BURGLARY - SOUTHWARK

Behind Westminster, Southwark reported the highest number of burglaries over the last four years.

In the borough, which includes areas like Peckham and Canada Water, and plays host to The Shard and London Bridge, almost 10,000 burglaries have been recorded since May 2021.

More than two-thirds of that number were carried out on residential properties, with the other third on business addresses.

An average of 208 burglaries happen every month in Southwark, but the numbers peaked in August 2023 at 269.

The London Mayor has come under fire for presiding over a crime-ridden capital.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, speaking to GB News earlier this year, said: "He's presided over the most ineffective police force in the country for catching criminals, despite the fact that the Met has the highest funding per capita of any police force in the country.

"Khan has lost control of crime in London. We've seen an epidemic of phone thefts, shoplifting rife, knife crime on the increase. Londoners are fearful because Khan has failed."

Responding to his attacks, a spokesman for the Met said tackling knife crime is a top priority for the force.

"We are seeing positive progress, with falls in the number of victims of violence, including young people injured by knives, and in the overall number of homicides by the end of 2024 compared to previous years," the spokesman said.

“Falls in the number of arrests for knife crimes are linked to fewer officers feeling confident about using stop and search tactics as they fear complaints, yet we know that stop and search can prevent crimes from happening. In the last year alone, 28 per cent led to a positive outcome with knives and other weapons recovered – three per cent up on the previous year."