As last year’s performance closes and a new one begins, it brings a time of reflection on our successes and also where we can improve next year. Preventing crime is the key measure of our success and we have achieved a lot, in reducing crime in Newham last year:

n Violent crime is down by 5 per cent.

n Robbery is down by 7 per cent.

n Burglary is down by 7 per cent.

n Motor vehicle crime is down by 14 per cent.

That is about 140 less victims of violent crime, 170 less people who have been robbed, 150 less homes that have been burgled, and nearly 700 less cars that have been broken into than the year before. We have also reduced serious youth crime by almost half, and the number of firearms offences has also decreased significantly. During a year when we have had the Olympics, millions of people visiting through Westfield, as well as a growing population, the fact that we have a reduction overall in recorded crime is a huge achievement for Newham police. Our response times to high priority 999 calls have also been, on average, one of the best in the Met!

This financial year, we will continue to target both residential and non-residential burglary, robbery, serious youth violence and theft of personal property. With the arrival of the Local Policing Model later this year, we will be able to get more officers out and about in our twenty-one Safer Neighbourhood Wards and investigating and solving crime will remain a top priority. Finally, we will continue our ‘Total Enforcement’ partnership work with the London Borough of Newham and continue to develop close working relationships with community groups and local residents.

We are looking forward to training some new recruits in May, many of whom were previously Special Constables on this borough. This is to continue fulfilling the Commissioner’s commitment to increase the number of Met officers out and about on patrol. We will continue to use the new tools at our disposal to keep you safe; including Taser and the brand new ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cars that you may have seen out and about. We also want to continue to develop new ways of communicating with the communities we serve; we are active on Twitter (find us at @mpsnewham!) and are regularly using tools like Neighbourhood Link, the Met’s community messaging service (sign up at www.neighbourhoodlink.met.police.uk!). We look forward to working with you all this financial year, keeping the streets of Newham safe.