THERE are still more burglaries in Barnet than any other London borough, despite police pledges to crack down on the intrusive crime.

Figures released by the Metropolitan Police this month reveal that the number of residential burglaries in the borough fell by just 0.5 per cent between March 2012 and March 2013 – well short of Barnet Police’s target of six per cent for the year.
However, police chiefs have sought to reassure residents that burglary is still their number one priority.

The failure to significantly curb Barnet’s burglary rate leaves police playing catch up over pledges by the Met to reduce the number of residential burglary offences in the capital by 20 per cent by 2015.

Borough Commander, Chief Superintendent Adrian Usher, said major events in the capital, such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, which drew cops away from the borough and into central London, had contributed to the crime rate.

“It’s fair to say the Met was under pressure last year,” he told The Press. “A lot of officers were taken out of the borough and we didn’t have as many proactive operations as we would have done.”

He added that the rising population had also made it more difficult to cut the number of burglary incidents.

He said: “Our priority in Barnet is burglary. We know it is a major concern to local residents. It is a huge challenge.

We have got 130,000 households over 35 square miles. It is not straightforward.
“But you will not find a police officer in Barnet who does not understand that the number one priority in terms of crime is burglary.”

He said that the London Mayor’s Police and Crime plan, which will see the number of officers in Barnet increase from 523 in 2011 to 564 by 2015, would see burglary figures drop.

“The local police model will see significantly more cops on the street, both in local police teams and in terms of our operational capabilities.”

He also sited new “evidence-based” policing techniques and increased public awareness of burglary prevention as ways of keeping figures low.

Despite his disappointment over the borough’s burglary figures, Chief Supt Usher said he was pleased overall victim satisfaction with Barnet Police had risen by six points to 78 per cent.

“I think it is really good news,” he said. “A few years ago we were 25th out of 32 boroughs for victim satisfaction and now we are third.

“That is a continuing improvement and we are investing a huge amount into making sure that if you are a unfortunate enough to be a victim of crime then the experience you have is as pleasant as possible.”