Economic and social cost of crime in City of Westminster rises to £371mn a year

Crime in the City of Westminster has doubled in two years, to reach an “economic and social cost” of £371mn a year, according to a council report.

The Safer Westminster Partnership (SWP) Strategic Assessment report found 10 percent of all crime committed across London took place in Westminster — up from five percent two years’ ago, and is higher than pre-pandemic levels.

The partnership, which includes Westminster City Council, the Met Police, the London Fire Brigade and the Probation Service, among others, said there were on average 216 crimes a day recorded in the borough, up from 196 a year ago. The majority of these – 60 percent – were theft offences with many happening in the West End or St James’s wards at night. 

The report read: “The thriving West End night time economy is a driver for a large local drugs market, of which recreational drug users contribute to the drugs demand. This demand fuels organised crime including child criminal exploitation. Reducing demand must be encouraged to reduce the adverse consequences of drug abuse for individuals and society at large.”

Alcohol is a significant contributor to criminal activities and violence.

“Around 40 percent of all violent crimes are alcohol-related. This would equate to 6,997 violent crimes recorded in Westminster in the last year at an estimated cost of £85mn. While health, police and other public services deal with the consequences of alcohol-related violence, such staff are also victims,” states the report.

The West End night time economy is “a clear driver of alcohol-related crime” with most of these offences taking place in the St James’s and West End wards.

Police found sexual offences made up a small portion of recorded crime but are “one of the most harmful”. Their research found 54 percent of victims of all crime were female and were far more likely to be victims of sexual offences and theft. It found males were more likely to be victims of robbery and vehicle offences. Nearly two-thirds of victims were aged between 18 and 39 years old.

They also found 87 percent of those accused of crime were male. But caution had to be exercised with this data point due to low detection rates. Where known, 47 percent of the accused were white, 28 percent Black, 15 percent other, and nine percent Asian.

The report, which covers crime across London between October 2022 and September 2023, was presented to Westminster Council’s overview and scrutiny committee on Thursday, 25 July.

The review, which happens yearly, found Westminster City recorded more than 90,000 criminal offences, more than double the next highest borough. The data also showed crime disproportionately affected people with protected characteristics.

Based on the Home Office study The economic and social costs of crime, the impact of crime in Westminster over October 2022 to September 2023 was estimated to cost £371mn — a £56mn increase on the previous year.

This does not estimate the costs of every crime type but concentrates on more serious victim-based offences. The council also noted four separate domestic homicide reviews currently underway, which it said was more than it had in the previous five to ten years. 

Despite increasing crime, nearly all residents surveyed felt safe in the area they live. However, feelings of safety after dark have reduced from 82 percent to 74 percent, this was most notable for women.

The council launched the Night Stars volunteer scheme and the “It’s Her City Too” campaign to improve women’s safety on its streets. These schemes are helping women get home safety during a night out and tackling sexual harassment. It has also launched women’s safety training and opened safe havens. 

The council noted the acute lack of housing in the borough made it more difficult for women to leave abusive partners and moving families away from gang-related violence hotspots.

A new wave of movable CCTV cameras has also been launched by the council to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area. Westminster Council is also giving authorities more money to tackle the issue of personal robbery. 

Commenting on plans to introduce 100 new CCTV cameras in the borough, council leader Adam Hug said: “Anti-social behaviour and crime in our communities blights the lives of residents across Westminster and as a Council we want to do what we can to help tackle it.

“We’re pleased to be working in partnership with Hammersmith and Fulham on this new CCTV camera network, which will help keep an eye on ASB hotspots in local communities across Westminster. The footage will also assist the police in identifying wrongdoers and provide the evidence to support work to design out crime.

“The safety of our residents is the Council’s top priority, and we want to play our part in helping keep our streets safer and to ensure that residents feel more secure in their own homes,” he said.

The Westminster cameras use specialist audio and noise detection AI technology, which will alert the control centre to potential incidents and provide immediate access to supporting footage. The audio detection technology works by detecting noise levels that exceed the defined parameters and can identify noises such as screams, explosions and gunshots.

The new surveillance system will be the first time Westminster Council has run its own public realm CCTV cameras since 2017 when the network was closed by the previous administration, and one-off capital funding was given to the Metropolitan Police to acquire their own cameras.

Westminster City Council, Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Thursday 25 July 2024.

Additional reporting by Linus Rees.