Police promise action as latest crime figures show worrying trend
Robberies in Ealing have increased sharply over the last year according to the latest figures released by the Metropolitan Police.
This kind of offence is up by nearly a quarter across the whole borough rising to 1,678 reported case and some local wards have seen robberies more than double in the year to July 2018. The worst hit are Northfield and Ealing Common wards which have seen rises of 166.7% This comes at a time when crime in general across the borough has fallen.
It is believed that part of the rise can be attributed to moped enabled crime which has seen a marked increase across the capital with mainly younger males with face masks and plates removed from bikes using them to commit crimes. Some critics of the police say new guidelines on pursuit of suspects on mopeds which place greater restrictions on operations have resulted in the increased prevalence of this kind of crime.
A spokesperson for the police in Ealing told us, "Unfortunately there has been a rise in robberies across the Met. The West Area's response is by employing our proactive team who are focusing on tackling this crime type. An example of this is that we have recently had a male convicted for committing eight violent robberies, who is due to be sentenced next month."
This Wednesday the police issued a Section 60 notice for the Borough of Ealing. This gives police constables in uniform the power to stop and search persons or vehicles within a locality, without the requirement of suspecting the person is committing or has committed an offence. This wide-ranging power can only be authorised by a senior police officer, and only in certain circumstances. The order also gives police the power to require face coverings to be removed. It is not known whether this move is related to a crackdown on robbery suspects.
| Change in Crime (%) in Year to July 2018 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area/Ward | Overall | Robbery | Violence against the person |
Burglary |
| Ealing Borough | -1.1 |
24.6 |
2.7 |
2.2 |
| Elthorne | 8.3 |
47.8 |
0.5 |
28.4 |
| Northfield | 11.4 |
166.7 |
3.5 |
11.0 |
| Ealing Common | 4.7 |
166.7 |
8.0 |
3.7 |
| Walpole | -2.5 |
-21.9 |
-7.9 |
15.5 |
| Ealing Broadway | -4.8 |
26.0 |
-2.2 |
25.0 |
| Hanger Hill | 3.3 |
35.3 |
6.5 |
-11.4 |
| Cleveland | -5.4 |
0.0 |
-5.8 |
-4.9 |
| Hobbayne | 9.4 |
22.2 |
9.4 |
-10.3 |
| Perivale | 19.7 |
3.9 |
35.5 |
3.1 |
| Dormers Wells | -1.7 |
42.3 |
6.5 |
5.3 |
| Lady Margaret | -3.3 |
-8.3 |
4.9 |
5.9 |
| Southall Broadway | -7.6 |
11.1 |
-0.5 |
12.5 |
| Southall Green | 0.8 |
-14.3 |
16.1 |
0.0 |
| Norwood Green | -7.9 |
21.9 |
-4.4 |
-17.0 |
| Greenford Broadway | -5.6 |
7.6 |
0.9 |
0.8 |
| Greenford Green | -8.9 |
3.3 |
-12.7 |
-11.2 |
| Northolt Mandeville | 1.6 |
0.0 |
14.5 |
-6.4 |
| North Greenford | -9.9 |
31.3 |
-8.9 |
-3.6 |
| Northolt West End | 4.4 |
108.3 |
10.9 |
6.7 |
Source: Metropolitan Police
August 23, 2018
