Crime in Hammersmith & Fulham is falling – with 845 fewer victims in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Met Police data shows major reductions across several crime categories, such as a 47% decrease in theft from vehicles, a 13.6% fall in violent crime, a 10% reduction in robberies, and a 9.5% drop in residential burglaries.
The success follows a £6.6million investment from H&F Council in its groundbreaking approaches to fight local crime last year, including our comprehensive CCTV infrastructure.
Our 2,000-strong network of cameras have played a crucial role by supporting 757 arrests. Cllr Rebecca Harvey, H&F Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Community Safety, said:
These figures show our approach to community safety is working. By combining smart technology with strong community ties, we're making H&F an even safer place to live, work and visit."
Seven ways we're making your streets safer
Keeping local people safe is our number one priority. We've invested in groundbreaking approaches to fight local crime. Here are just a few:
1. New CCTV cameras
We're investing £5.4million over five years to create London's most comprehensive CCTV network. Monitored from our control room in Hammersmith, our network now includes 100 cameras across Westminster.
Our 24/7 operators spot suspicious behaviour in real time and help guide the response from the police and officers from our Law Enforcement Team to prevent and tackle crime.
2. Your Law Enforcement Team
Our Law Enforcement Team has helped make H&F one of London's safest boroughs. The team works as the eyes and ears of the council, delivering impressive results this year:
- 107,000 patrols and investigations into reports, helping thousands of residents
- 4,461 weapon sweeps
- 2,270 fines issued.
Got a problem? Email the team on let.hf@lbhf.gov.uk or call 020 8753 1100 (option 3).
3. No room for hate
The H&F Faith Forum unites 17 religious leaders from across H&F. Our mosque, church, temple and synagogue leaders work together to promote peace and tolerance.
This vital partnership anchors our new hate crime strategy. Together, we're focused on prevention, support for victims and creating stronger bonds in our community.
4. Working to end sexual harassment
We are the first London borough to make street harassment an offence. Offenders now face fines of up to £1,000 for threatening or unsafe acts, and our LET officers carry out special patrols in town centres to improve safety at night.
These new measures are already making a difference. When a young woman reported being repeatedly catcalled from a builder's van in Fulham Palace Road, we took action. Using CCTV footage, we tracked down the perpetrator and fined him £100. He paid the next day.
"This pioneering approach supports improved safety and shows what we can achieve through police and council collaboration," said Craig Knight, Met Police Superintendent for H&F.
5. Fighting gangs
Our dedicated Gangs Unit has secured £280,000 to support youth initiatives across H&F estates, including West Kensington and Clem Attlee. The two-year community scheme features youth and family projects.
We've invested a further £30,000 to support victims of serious violence along with their families. It enables extra LET patrols, youth outreach work and support for the community where it's needed most.
6. New lights
We're working to make Shepherds Bush Green safer. We've installed 20 new motion-sensor lights that now illuminate the walkways and pavements. And we've upgraded 35 cameras to provide full 360-degree coverage.
7. Zero tolerance on illegal goods
Our Trading Standards officers made the borough's largest-ever seizure of illegal tobacco products this year. More than 60,000 counterfeit cigarettes and hundreds of dangerous vapes were confiscated from a single shop – Milan Market in King Street, Hammersmith.
The operation led to the closure of the business and showed our zero-tolerance approach to illegal trading to make H&F safer for all residents.
