Figures from the Office for National Statistics as per the report, Overview of robbery and theft from the person: England and Wales, depicts a rise in the number of robberies and thefts from the person, recorded by the police in the year ending March 2017. A general pattern of decline was identified until March 2015, and from there on, the numbers have increased substantially. Even though robbery and theft are still considered to be relatively low-volume offences, the sudden change in numbers illustrates people are still at a high risk of becoming a victim of these crimes.

As a consequence, specialists at Locksmithservice.co.uk, who help those who have been a victim of burglary, have analysed data gathered from the Metropolitan Police Service in an attempt to learn which are the worst and somewhat ‘best’ London boroughs for robbery and theft from the person. The data processed by Locksmithservice.co.uk consists of the total numbers of incidents reported to the police in the month of October 2017 for the two offences referenced. The number for each borough has been calculated by adding together the numbers for robbery and theft from the person for each ward in every borough.

A significant difference was noticed between some of the worse boroughs for robbery and theft from the person, with Camden, the worst borough recording 988 more crimes than Sutton, the borough with the least crimes recorded for robbery and theft. After analysing the data, it became apparent that the number of robberies for all boroughs (2,876) is significantly lower than the number of thefts from the person for all boroughs at 3,549.

Credit: Dean Drobot/Shutterstock

The data analysed by Locksmithservice.co.uk has shown that the top 5 boroughs with the highest level of crimes recorded for robbery and theft from the person for October 2017 are:

Camden (1,019)

Islington (644)

Westminster (570)

Southwark (378)

Lambeth (340)

Simultaneously, the experts at Locksmithservice.co.uk have revealed that the boroughs with the lowest rates for robbery and theft from the person for October 2017 are:

Kingston Upon Thames (44)

Bexley (43)

Richmond Upon Thames (39)

Harrow (38)

Sutton (31)

The results have ranked Camden as the worst borough for robbery and theft from the person. The data has revealed a staggering number of 223 robberies and 796 thefts from the person offences for the month of October 2017, which resulted in a total of 1,019 incidents for the borough collectively.

Sutton wins the award for the safest borough when it comes to robberies and theft for the person with only 31 crimes in total – 22 robberies and 9 thefts reported.

The data analysed by Locksmith has resulted in a total number of 6,425 robberies and theft from the person for all London boroughs in the month of October 2017.

Who is more likely to become a victim?

A survey conducted by Locksmithservice.co.uk has shown that 83% of the people questioned believe that women are more likely to be victims of robbery, however the figures from the Office for National Statistics prove the opposite. The overview of robbery and theft from the person for England and Wales states that whilst women are more likely to be victims of theft from the person, men are more likely to be victims of robbery.

The usage of force or threats of force is what differentiates robbery from theft from the person, as robbery involves force or threat of force (also known as mugging), while theft from the person doesn’t involve force or violence (also known as snatch or stealth theft from a person).

General opinion on police capabilities

With an increase in the number of robberies and theft from the person, Locksmithservice.co.uk sought to find out what the public think. The survey revealed an astonishing 59% of people are not optimistic about the police being able to help in the case of a robbery or theft from the person. When asked about the police capabilities and whether they believe the police can help after they have been informed about the incident, these were the results:

• Very Positive – 7%
• Positive – 17%
• Not Optimistic – 59%
• Negative – 10%
• I Don’t Know – 7%

However, despite, a whopping 59% not optimistic about how successful the police would be to resolve a crime, 87% of the people questioned in the survey would still report the incident to the police.

• Would report the incident to the police – 87 %
• Would not report the incident to the police – 7%
• They don’t know if they would report the incident to the police – 6%

The survey also asked its respondents if they would intervene if they witnessed a robbery or theft. The results were the following:

• 52% of people would intervene
• 8% of people would not intervene
• 40% of people don’t know if they would intervene

Credit: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock

Mobile phones are the most cared for items

With the average price of a mobile phone reaching £200, it’s no surprise that the survey has shown most people are worried about their mobile phone being stolen. More specifically, 64% of the people questioned are afraid of having their mobile phones stolen. Money and cards are next on the list at 18%, followed by wallets and purses at 10%. Items with sentimental value are worth less than a mobile phone in the eyes of potential victims, as the result shows only 8% of people would care for them.

Managing director of Locksmith Service, Victor Baron, provides some top tips if confronted by someone trying to steal from you:

“You feel invincible and believe such crimes won’t happen to you, until they do. Being a victim of theft or robbery can make you feel very vulnerable and I have seen many victims of robbery and theft within their own home, let alone on the streets. If you are confronted by someone trying to steal from you, it’s best to hand in your belongings willingly and not get into a fight with the attacker, as you don’t know what they are capable of. If they are desperate enough to steal from you, they might be prepared to hurt you as well.”

He added: “No matter what your opinion is on the police capabilities to help, it’s best to report the crime to them. Even if you won’t get your belongings back, the authorities will be aware of the dangerous areas and will inform people to be cautious when walking around. They may even provide extra police officers to circulate the area, to protect others from becoming victims.”