Crime rates in Camberwell Green have risen once again according to a recent report released by the Metropolitan Police.
Following a brief fall in the 2013/14 crime count, locals could be forgiven for believing it was finally a safer area to live. However, the recent influx of crime will undoubtedly be a blow for the residents of the Southwark based ward.
According to London Met, crime rates in Camberwell Green have fluctuated, rising by a dramatic six percent in the 2014/15 count, potentially causing fear amongst local residents and business owners.
Residents of South Camberwell may rest easy, however, as crime rates have experienced a decline of 13 percent in stark contrast to its more urban counterpart.
The statistics may not be wholly surprising as a stream of reports involving criminal activity in the ward have hit the news in the past year, including the tragic case of 17 year old student, Jerrell Elie’s murder in August of last year
Interestingly, Southwark ranked as the ninth most dangerous borough in London in an unofficial report by FindAHood, which considers borough size and number of residents.
The categories of criminal activity in January 2016 range from “anti-social behaviour” to the more worrying “most serious violence”, although the crime rate of the latter is a reassuring 0.4 percent.
The crime type of “total notifiable offences” counts for 8.65 percent- by far the most common in Camberwell Green- with the second most common offence being “violence against the person” with 3.53 percent.
Business owners in the ward may be comforted to learn that, despite the large number of businesses in the busy area, no business robberies have been committed so far this year.
One person providing reassurance to Camberwell’s online community is PC Mark McKay, who operates a Twitter account providing information to Camberwell Green residents about the police activity in the area.
One such tweet from the account @MPSCamberwellGn reads, “Totals for tonight’s op: 1x arrest for criminal damage, 3x stop and search for cannabis, 1x cannabis warning #Camberwell #OpBonscale”.
The 2011 census shows the popular area to have a population of over 15,000 people (despite its relatively small span), with the average age being 33, so the latest crime rates are perhaps unsurprising.
