A new website which will enable Londoners to get crime figures
for their neighbourhood has been launched by Mayor of London Boris
Johnson.
The new "crime mapping"
website means that for the first time, Londoners will be able
to get information about crime levels in their neighbourhood and
access local crime prevention and safety advice.
The government is aiming to provide similar
crime mapping facilities to every other part of the UK by the end
of the year. Some police forces already offer online crime
mapping to citizens.
The London website provides a set of interactive maps, showing
numbers and rates of crime, and links to other sites including
Safer
Neighbourhoods Team web pages. The site also compares the crime
levels in local neighbourhoods to the London average.
The new crime mapping site went live on the Metropolitan
police's website on 3 September, after a brief trial and testing
period in August where feedback from the public was considered.
Johnson said, "Crime mapping was one of my major manifesto
commitments and an important part of our strategy to tackle the
number one issue for Londoners, crime and safety.
"This new online service means that Londoners will, at long
last, be able to get information about crime levels in their
neighbourhood at the click of a button."
He said the site would enable Londoners to assess the work of
their local police in tackling the crimes that affect their
neighbourhood.