Tony Arbour pushes for better accuracy of borough crime figures

Posted by GLA Conservatives in Blog   Share2012

Sep
20

Tony Arbour, London Assembly Member for South West London, is pushing Mayor Boris Johnson to ensure better accuracy of borough crime data.

Tony Arbour AM said; “Initially I was concerned by a decrease in the number of crimes being resolved by police in Richmond. However on closer inspection, it seems that police time may be being wasted by a faulty administrative system. For example, police told me that a large percentage of “other thefts” take place in licensed premises and turn out to often involve “lost” rather than stolen items.

“I fear that police may muddle figures to create a more advantageous crime picture for their borough. This should be more closely monitored through regular dip sampling. And the public should be told which boroughs appear to be trying to distort figures and which aren’t.

“Data accuracy – however unglamorous – is the real crime debate we should be having.”