Crime has fallen 6% in a year, Yard figures show

Crime: down by 6% in a year

Crime in London fell by more than six per cent in the last 12 months, according to figures released by Scotland Yard today.

The number of overall offences recorded by the Met in the 2007/2008 financial year fell to 862,032, the first time it was below 900,000 in 10 years.

There were reductions in all but one crime category. Figures showed gun crime involving feuding drug gangs rose by eight per cent.

The largest reduction was in the number of robberies, down 19 per cent to 37,000 offences.

Violent crime fell by eight per cent to 218,509 offences while there was a 15 per cent reduction in knife crime and a 1.4 per cent fall in the overall number of gun offences.

There were 160 homicides, eight fewer than in 2006/2007 in spite of the rise in the number of teenagers murdered in gang disputes or rows in the street.

The number of residential burglarieswas down by less than one per cent - 96 - but the Met still said it was the lowest rate for nearly 10 years.

Vehicle crime fell by eight per cent and business crime, which includes a range of offences including shoplifting, retail deception and theft by employees, was down by 12 per cent. The number of rapes fell by 17 per cent to 1,919.

The latest statistics are likely to reignite the debate over crime figures among the mayoral candidates with two of the leading contenders throwing-doubt on how they are compiled. Former police officer Brian Paddick has described the crime figures recorded by the Met as "unreliable" while Boris Johnson has claimed there is huge under-reporting of crime in the capital.

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