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CRIME
IN CHISWICK
Crime
in the Borough of Hounslow down 7% in last
year but street crime in Chiswick acknowledged
to be a problem.
A
recent audit of crime by the borough police
has revealed that Chiswick is home to two of
the six robbery hotspots in the borough. Chiswick
High Road and Turnham Green Terrace have been
highlighted as areas with a high prevalence
of crime.
For
the borough as a whole crime was down 7%
in the period covered by the report (year to
March 2001) but this was compared to an alarming
rise the year before. Car crime is falling
but street crime is rising at a rapid rate.
This can be partly attributed to the number
of thefts of mobile phones but there have been
a number of serious attacks in Chiswick recently
for example a knife point robbery near Turnham
Green tube.
Chief
Superintendent Mike O'Brien said: "The
toughest nut to crack is street crime which
is going up, not just here, but across the
country."
Burglary
is also a problem particularly in the Turnham
Green Terrace/Bath Road area.
A
previous report by the borough police concludes
that Chiswick is "not a significant
crime hot-spot" but points to the
particularly high level of vehicle crime. Local
campaigners have disputed this conclusion pointing
out that the percentage of crimes committed
in Chiswick as a proportion of the total in
Hounslow was roughly in line with the percentage
of households in this area.
One
local resident accused the police of complacency
saying: "The police consider Chiswick
a safe area because they feel safe here but
that is not always the experience of residents.
Because of the perception of W4 as a relatively
prosperous area it is a magnet for robbers
across West London. Nobody mugs the police."
The borough has been reluctant to install CCTV
in the area because it feels other areas have
a higher priority.
At
the moment crime information is posted on the
discussion forum of this site by the crime
prevention office at Chiswick Police Station.
There are plans to extend this sharing of information
to witness appeals and more serious crime.
In addition stills from CCTV footage of crimes
committed in Chiswick may be published.
Crime
in Chiswick - ward by ward
Hitmen
in Chiswick
Get
notified of local crime through Ringmaster
How
safe are the underpasses under the A4?
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