Community safety

9.1 Key Facts

• The crime rate for all recorded crimes in Barnet for the year ending in June 2019, was 76.27 per 1,000 residents, which was the 9^th lowest of all the 32 London boroughs and lower than the Metropolitan Police Force Area average (98.65 per 1,000 residents).
• The burglary rate in Barnet was 9.44 per 1,000 residents, which was the 12th highest among the London boroughs and slightly higher than the force average for the Metropolitan Police (9.14 per 1,000), in the year ending June 2019.
• For the year ending June 2019, the rate of violence and sexual offences in Barnet was 19.12 per 1,000 residents, which was the 2nd lowest among the London boroughs and lower than the force average for the Metropolitan Police (26.58 per 1,000).
• The rate of drug offences in Barnet was 1.91 per 1,000 residents for the year ending June 2019, which was the 2nd lowest among the London boroughs and lower than the force average for the Metropolitan Police (4.55 per 1,000).
• In the two-year period ending in December 2019, there were a total of 1,182 recorded sexual offences in Barnet of which 40% were rape (n = 474) and 60% were other sexual offences (n = 708).
• During 2019, at a ward level, the highest crime volumes were found in West Hendon (8.7% of recorded crime in Barnet), Child’s Hill (7.4%) and Colindale (6.6%), whereas the wards with the lowest levels of recorded crime were Finchley Church End (3.3%), Hale (3.1%) and Totteridge (2.8%).

9.2 Strategic Needs

• Barnet remains a safe place to visit, live and work, however if it is to remain one of London’s safest boroughs against a background of reduced funding from central government, it is essential that the borough continues to work efficiently, effectively and imaginatively with its Safer Community partners and other organisations within the community and voluntary sector.
• The estimated cost of crime in Barnet for the 2017/18 financial year was almost £99.3m, which represented a rise of nearly £4.5m on the previous year. Violence and sexual offences accounted for the largest proportion of this total estimated cost (64%), followed by burglary (14%), vehicle crime (9%), robbery (6%) and “Other Theft” (3%).
• Between January 2018 and December 2019, there was a 7% decrease in the total number of recorded theft  offences in Barnet, falling from 546 to 509 offences.
• Theft from motor vehicles and interference / tampering with motor vehicles increased by 59% and 83% respectively between January 2018 and December 2019, although there was a 3% decrease in the number of offences relating to theft or taking of a motor vehicle.
• Comparing the 12 months to December 2019 with the previous 12 months, there was a decreasing trend for Anti-Semitic (-7%) and Faith hate crimes (-1%) and an increasing trend for Homophobic, Islamophobic, Disability, Transgender, Domestic abuse and Racist & religious hate crimes.
• In December 2019, there were 615 reported offences of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in the Barnet, compared to 531 for the same month in 2018, which represents a 16% increase.
• Violence against women is a major public health concern. The number of domestic abuse offences in Barnet rose by almost a third (31%) between January 2018 (n = 194) and December 2019 (n = 255).
• Local authorities play a vital role in preventing people from being drawn into terrorism and have responsibilities under the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The Barnet Prevent Strategy 2017-2020, also has an important role in keeping the people of Barnet safe, through early intervention, to protect and divert people away from terrorism and/or violent extremism.

9.3 Overview

The statutory duty for Barnet Safer Communities Partnership[1] includes producing and considering the findings of an annual strategic crime needs assessment when developing a local community safety strategy. This section contains data from the Community Safety team at Barnet Council.

9.3.1 Crime in Barnet

Table 9.1 compares the percentage change in recorded crime for Barnet between January 2018 and December 2019 for various types of offence, based on data from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). Any analysis of the magnitude of an effect should take both the percentage change and the numbers involved into consideration.

Overall, the number of recorded offences for all crimes in the borough rose by 11%, from 2,259 in January 2018 to 2,501 in December 2019.

Looking at this rise in more detail, there was a 103% increase in robbery overall, with a 120% growth in robbery of personal property. However, the robbery of business property showed only an 18% elevation, but involved relatively low numbers of offences.

Violence against the person increased by 16% from 494 in January 2018 to 572 in December 2019. Against this background, violence with injury decreased by 2%, whilst the number of homicides committed rose from 1 to 2 (representing an increase of 100% and clearly illustrating the dangers of viewing percentage increases in isolation). Possession of weapons offences did however decrease by 42% overall.

Vehicles offences showed a 42% growth when January 2018 (n = 376) was compared to December 2019 (n = 534), whilst public order and arson & criminal damage offences yielded more modest increases of 9% and 11% respectively.

The number of sexual offences was 28% lower in December 2019 and rapes were over a third (35%) lower. Similarly, drugs offences where a fifth (20%) lower and drug trafficking was down by almost two-thirds (64% decrease), although trafficking covered a small number of recorded offences.

All types of theft, except for bicycle theft (which remained unchanged) also decreased, whilst there was a small increase in burglary overall (1% rise).

Substantial decreases were however seen in the various categories of miscellaneous crimes against society, when January 2018 and December 2019 were compared, however these also involved small numbers of offences. Overall the count of recorded offences classified under miscellaneous crimes against society, fell from 37 to 17, a drop of 54%.[2]  

Table 9.1: Comparison of recorded crime for Barnet, percentage change, January 2018 vs. December 2019

Source: Greater London Authority (2020). London Datastore. Recorded Crime: Geographic Breakdown. MPS Borough Level Crime.

 

The estimated cost of crime for Barnet over the three financial years from 2015/16 - 2017/18 is shown in Table 9.2. The actual cost of crime is never known, as many offences are not reported and crimes affect people in a multitude of different ways, having social and psychological costs, in addition to the financial losses.

However, the Home Office has produced an “estimated cost” for certain offences, which gives an indication of the financial impact of these crimes. Since some crimes (e.g. drugs, fraud and harassment) are not included in the figures shown in Table 9.2 and there is under reporting of crime in general, the true cost of crime in the borough may be significantly higher.

The estimated cost of crime in Barnet for the 12 months up to March 2018 was almost £99.3m, which represented a rise of nearly £4.5m on the previous financial year.

For 2017/18:

• Violence and sexual offences accounted for the largest proportion of the total estimated cost (64%), followed by burglary (14%), vehicle crime (9%), robbery (6%) and “Other Theft” (3%).
• Whilst the cost of violent and sexual offences and “other theft” changed little in 2017/18, the cost of robbery, burglary and vehicle crime rose by around £2.1m, £1.1m and £1.1m respectively.
• Theft from the person represented only 0.6% of the total estimated cost of crime in Barnet for 2017/18, however burglary and robbery combined accounted for around a fifth of the total cost of crime in the borough for that year.[3]

Table 9.2: Estimated costs of crime in Barnet, 2015/16 – 2017/18

Source: Home Office and the Barnet Community Safety Team (LBB).

 

[2] Greater London Authority (2020). London Datastore. Recorded Crime: Geographic Breakdown. MPS Borough Level Crime (most recent 24 months). Available at:https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/recorded_crime_summary

[3] Home Office. Revisions made to the multipliers and unit costs of crime used in the Integrated Offender Management Value for Money Toolkit. Available at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/118042/IOM-phase2-costs-multipliers.pdf

 

9.3.2 All Recorded Crime

For the year ending in June 2019, the crime rate for all recorded crimes in Barnet was 76.27 per 1,000 residents, which was the 9th lowest of all the 32 London boroughs (see Figure 9.1) and lower than the Metropolitan Police Force Area average (98.65 per 1,000 residents).[4]

Figure 9.1: All recorded crimes, rate per 1,000 residents for London boroughs, year ending June 2019

Source: POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in the Metropolitan Police force area.

When compared with similar areas, the rate of all recorded crimes per 1,000 residents for Barnet (76.27 per 1,000 residents) was similar to the average for these areas (79.30 per 1,000 residents) in the year ending June 2019. Over this period, Barnet was ranked 7th lowest out of 15, when compared to its most similar areas (Figure 9.2).[5]

Figure 9.2: All recorded crimes rate per 1,000 residents for Barnet and similar areas, year ending June 2019

Source: POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in other similar areas.

 

[4] POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in the Metropolitan Police force area.

[5] POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in other similar areas.

 

9.3.3 Burglary

According to the Metropolitan Police; “Burglary is the theft, or attempted theft, from a premises where access is not authorised. Damage to a premises that appears to have been caused by a person attempting to enter to commit a burglary, is also counted as burglary.”[6]

As can be seen from Figure 9.3, in the year ending June 2019, the burglary rate in Barnet was 9.44 per 1,000 residents, which was the 12th highest among the London boroughs and slightly higher than the force average for the Metropolitan Police (9.14 per 1,000).[7]

Figure 9.3: Burglary rate per 1,000 residents for London boroughs, year ending June 2019

Source: POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in the Metropolitan Police force area.

When compared to similar areas, the burglary rate in Barnet for the year ending June 2019 was the highest of all the areas involved in the comparison (see Figure 9.4). The burglary rate for Barnet (9.44 per 1,000) was higher than the average for similar areas (7.26 per 1,000 residents).[8]

Figure 9.4: Burglary rate per 1,000 residents for Barnet and similar areas, year ending June 2019

Source: POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in other similar areas.

 

[6] Metropolitan Police (2020). Crime type definitions. Available at: https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/crime-type-definitions/

[7] POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in the Metropolitan Police force area.

[8] POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in other similar areas.

 

9.3.4 Violence and sexual offences

For the year ending June 2019, the rate of violence and sexual offences in Barnet was 19.12 per 1,000 residents, which was the 2nd lowest among the London boroughs and lower than the force average for the Metropolitan Police (26.58 per 1,000).[9]

Figure 9.5: Violence and sexual crimes offences rate per 1,000 residents for London boroughs, year ending June 2019

Source: POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in the Metropolitan Police force area.

Compared to similar areas, the violence and sexual offences rate in Barnet for the year ending June 2019 was the lowest of all the areas involved in the comparison (see Figure 9.6). The rate of violence and sexual offences for Barnet (19.12 per 1,000) over this period was lower than the average for similar areas (24.53 per 1,000 residents).[10]

Figure 9.6: Violence and sexual crimes offences rate per 1,000 residents for Barnet and similar areas, year ending June 2019

 

Source: POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in other similar areas.

 

[9] POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in the Metropolitan Police force area.

[10] POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in other similar areas.

 

9.3.5 Drugs

The rate of drug offences in Barnet was 1.91 per 1,000 residents for the year ending June 2019, which was the 2nd lowest among the London boroughs (refer to Figure 9.7) and lower than the force average for the Metropolitan Police (4.55 per 1,000).[11]

Figure 9.7: Drug offences rate per 1,000 residents for London boroughs, year ending June 2019

 

Source: POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in the Metropolitan Police force area.

When compared to similar areas, the drug offences rate in Barnet for the year ending June 2019 was the lowest of all the areas involved in the comparison (see Figure 9.8). The rate of drug offences for Barnet (1.91 per 1,000) over this period was also lower than the average for similar areas (3.34 per 1,000 residents).[12]

Figure 9.8: Drugs offences rate per 1,000 residents for Barnet and similar areas, year ending June 2019

Source: POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in other similar areas

 

[11] POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in the Metropolitan Police force area.

[12] POLICE.UK (2019). Compare your area. Crime in Barnet compared with crime in other similar areas. 

 

9.3.6 Theft and related offences

According to the Metropolitan Police, “theft and handling” is defined as; “Theft from a person, motor vehicle, bikes, residential or non-residential property and more. Plus the storage, transport or attempted resale of property after a theft has occurred.”[13]

Between January 2018 and December 2019, there was a 7% decrease in the total number of recorded theft offences in Barnet falling from 546 to 509 (see Figure 9.9).[14] This represents a crime rate of 33.29 per 1,000 population for theft, based on a total of 13,204 offences over this period. In contrast, there were 7,312 burglary offences between January 2018 and December 2019 representing a rate of 18.44 per 1,000 population and 2,045 robbery offences (5.16 per 1,000 population). Of the 59,676 recorded offences in Barnet over this period, theft, burglary and robbery accounted for 22%, 12% and 3% of the total respectively.[15]

Figure 9.9: Total number of recorded offences for theft, Barnet, January 2018 – December 2019

 

 

Source: Metropolitan Police Service (2020).

Between January 2018 and December 2019, theft from motor vehicles and interference / tampering with motor vehicles increased by 59% and 83% respectively. However, there was a 3% decrease in the number of offences relating to theft or taking of a motor vehicle, falling from 118 in January 2018 to 114 in December 2019. There was also a general decrease in the number of offences for the different types of non-vehicle related theft; bicycle theft (0%; no change), shoplifting (5% decrease); theft from person (7% decrease) and other theft (8% decrease). Similarly, there was a 11% decrease in burglary from business and community settings, with modest increases in residential burglary (4%) and burglary overall (1%). In contrast, there has been a relatively large increase in both robbery of personal property (120%) and robbery overall (103%), during this period (see Figure 9.10).[16]

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) has also recently found evidence for a rise in overall theft and although there was no statistically significant increase in any specific type of theft, there was believed to be a genuine increase in vehicle theft.[17]

Figure 9.10: Trends in the number of recorded offences for types of theft, burglary and robbery, Barnet, January 2018 – December 2019

 

Source: Metropolitan Police Service (2020).

 

[13] Metropolitan Police (2020). Crime type definitions. Available at: https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/crime-type-definitions/

[14] Greater London Authority (2020). London Datastore. Recorded Crime: Geographic Breakdown. MPS Borough Level Crime (most recent 24 months). Available at:https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/recorded_crime_summary

[15] Metropolitan Police (2020). Crime Data Dashboard. Available at: https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/crime-data-dashboard/

[16] Greater London Authority (2020). London Datastore. Recorded Crime: Geographic Breakdown. MPS Borough Level Crime (most recent 24 months). Available at:https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/recorded_crime_summary

[17] Office for National Statistics (ONS, 2018). Crime in England and Wales: year ending June 2018. Crime against households and adults, also including data on crime experienced by children, and crimes against businesses and society. Available at:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingjune2018#a-rise-in-overall-theft-driven-by-small-changes-in-all-subcategories

9.4 Hate crime

According to the Metropolitan Police a hate crime is defined as; “Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.”

There are three main types of hate crime;

• physical assault,
• verbal abuse and
• incitement to hatred (where someone behaves in a way that is intended to stir up hatred or which is threatening).[18]

London Borough of Barnet, through the Barnet Safer Communities Partnership (BSCP) is committed to tackling hate crime and addressing the high level of under-reporting that often accompanies it.[19]

Table 9.3 shows the numbers of recorded hate crimes for Barnet between January 2018 and December 2019. The counts of recorded offences should not be summed as there are considerable overlaps between the categories, e.g. “Faith hate crimes” overlaps with both Islamophobic and Anti-Semitic hate crimes and “Fascist & Religious Hate crime” includes Faith hate crimes, Islamophobic and Anti-Semitic hate crimes.

Comparing the 12 months to December 2019 with the previous 12 months, there is a decreasing trend for Anti-Semitic (-7%) and Faith hate crimes (-1 %) and an increasing trend for all other types of hate crime under consideration for Barnet. However, in this context, when assessing the magnitude of any change, the size of the trend (%) should be considered in conjunction with the number of offences. For example, a 35% decrease in Islamophobic hate crimes, where there were 61 offences recorded for the two-year period (January 2018 - December 2019) reflects considerably fewer offences than a 16% increase in Domestic abuse hate crimes, where there were 5,858 recorded offences over the same period.

Recorded Homophobic hate crimes rose by 100% and Islamophobic by over a third (35%). Similarly, Disability hates crimes increased by 29%, Transgender by a fifth (20%) and Domestic abuse hate crimes by 16%, between January 2018 and December 2019. Recorded Racist & religious hate crime offences showed a growth of 11%, over the same period.[20]

Table 9.3: Recorded hate crimes and percentage change for Barnet, January 2018 – December 2019

Source: Metropolitan Police (2020). Hate crime or special crime dashboard.

[18] Metropolitan Police (2020). What is hate crime? Available at: https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/hco/hate-crime/what-is-hate-crime/

[19] London Borough of Barnet (2015). Community safety. Barnet Community Safety Strategy 2015/2020. Available at: https://www.barnet.gov.uk/citizen-home/housing-and-community/community-safety.html  

[20] Metropolitan Police (2020). Hate crime or special crime dashboard. Available at:https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/hate-crime-dashboard

9.5 Anti-social behaviour (ASB)

Dealing with anti-social behaviour (ASB) is the responsibility of local authorities, police and other community safety agencies (e.g. Fire & Rescue) and reducing ASB remains a priority for Barnet Council. ASB covers a wide variety of unacceptable activities (such as vandalism, prostitution related activity, nuisance neighbours, vagrancy, begging, and fireworks misuse), which cause harm to the individual, community or environment.[21]

In December 2019, there were 615 reported offences of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in the Barnet, compared to 531 for the same month in 2018, which represents a 16% increase.[22]

In Barnet, the greatest ASB concern is rubbish and having litter lying around (44%) followed by the dealing and use of drugs (31%). In the year ending March 2018, a total of 8,268 ASB related calls were made by Barnet residents to the Metropolitan Police, which was a 11% reduction on the previous year. Of these calls, 196 were repeat callers, which was a 13% reduction on the previous 12 months.[23]

 

[21] POLICE.UK (2020). Anti-social behaviour.

[22] DATA.POLICE.UK (2020). Data downloads. Available at: https://data.police.uk/data/ 

[23] London Borough of Barnet (2018). Community Safety Team.

9.6 Domestic violence abuse (DVA) and violence against women and girls (VAWG)

Violence against women is a major public health concern, as well as a violation of women’s human rights. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises that violence can negatively impact a woman’s mental, physical, reproductive and sexual health and in some settings, increase her risk of acquiring HIV (see Figure 9.11).[24] It is estimated that globally, 35% of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence from either an intimate partner or a non-partner, whilst around 38% of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner.[25]

 

Figure 9.11: How violence affects women’s health and wellbeing

Source: World Health Organization (WHO, 2020).

The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 1993 and provides a widely used definition of violence against women. Within this UN Declaration, the term "violence against women" is defined as; “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”[26]

The number of domestic abuse offences in Barnet rose by almost a third (31%) between January 2018 (n = 194) and December 2019 (n = 255). Comparing the 12-month rolling totals for domestic abuse in Barnet, the cumulative total of offences rose by over a fifth (21%) from 2,590 in January 2018 to 3,141 in December 2019, when it represented a rate of 8.2 per 1,000 population.[27]

 

[24] World Health Organization (WHO, 2020). Sexual and reproductive health. Violence against women infographics. Available at:https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/violence/VAW_infographics/en/

[25] World Health Organization (WHO, 2017). Violence against women factsheet. Available at:https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women

[26] United Nations (1993). Resolution adopted by the General Assembly 48/104. Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, Article 1. Available at: http://www.un-documents.net/a48r104.htm

[27] Greater London Authority (2020). Domestic and Sexual Violence Dashboard. Domestic and Sexual Violence – Borough Volumes and Trends. Available at: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/data-and-statistics/domestic-and-sexual-violence-dashboard 

9.7 Rape, Sexual Violence and Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

Figure 9.12 shows the numbers of rape and other sexual offences (including indecent assault and unlawful under age sex)[28] in Barnet, between January 2018 and December 2019. Generally, rapes were a clear minority of sexual offences in the borough, except in April, May & July 2018 as well as October 2019. In May 2018, there was a spike in the number of rapes and sexual offences overall with a total of 91 recorded offences, compared to a monthly average of 49 within the borough, during this two-year period. Between January 2018 and December 2019, there were a total of 1,182 recorded sexual offences in Barnet of which 40% were rape (n = 474) and 60% were other sexual offences (n = 708).[29]

Figure 9.12: Numbers of rape and other sexual offences in Barnet, January 2018 – December 2019

Source: Metropolitan Police Service (2020).

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is not a specific criminal offence, but covers a range of individual offences and various forms of serious criminal conduct. This is a complex area and in recognition of this, the Metropolitan Police has produced "The London Child Sexual Exploitation Operating Protocol" for safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children affected by CSE. This protocol aims to complement statutory guidance, including the London Child Protection Procedures.[30]

According to the charitable organisation, NSW (a network of over 14,500 professionals who disseminate information about CSE and trafficking within the UK)[31]; “Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can occur through the use of technology.”[32]

[28] Metropolitan Police (2020). Crime type definitions. Available at: https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/crime-type-definitions/

[29] Greater London Authority (2020). London Datastore. Recorded Crime: Geographic Breakdown. MPS Borough Level Crime (most recent 24 months). Available at:https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/recorded_crime_summary

[30] Metropolitan Police (2017). The London Child Sexual Exploitation Operating Protocol (3^rd Edition). Available at: http://www.chscb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/LONDON-CSE-PROTOCOL.pdf

[31] NSW (2020). Who we are. Available at: https://www.nwgnetwork.org/the-work-we-do/

[32] NSW (2020). Definition and types of CSE. How it is defined. Available at:https://www.nwgnetwork.org/definition-types-of-cse/#

 

9.8 Gang Activity and Youth Crime

To promote a common understanding and facilitate the gathering of evidence within the borough, the Barnet Safer Communities Partnership has recognised the importance of having a shared frame of reference concerning gangs and based on Home Office guidance, has adopted the following definition; “A street gang is a relatively durable, predominantly street-based group of young people who:

• See themselves (and are seen by others) as a discernible group;
• Engage in a range of criminal activity and violence
• Identify with or lay claim over territory (this is not necessarily geographical territory but can include an illegal economy territory);
• Have some form of identifying structure feature and
• Are in conflict with other, similar gangs.”[34]

Based on this definition, gang members in Barnet are predominantly male (95.2%), aged between 16-17 years (76%) and Black or Black British (42.9%) or Black / Black British including “mixed white and black” (54.8%). Two-thirds (66.7%) are from a single parent family and over three-quarters (76.2%) have been, or are currently a Looked After Child (LAC). More than six out of ten (61.9%) of street gang members in Barnet have has at least one missing from home episode.[35]

According to the Gang Crime and Serious Youth Violence Dashboard from The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), in the rolling year to December 2017, there were 24 gang flagged offences in Barnet, accounting for 2.2% of such offences in London (n = 1,069) over that period. These offences represent any crime-related incident or crime, where it is believed there is a link to gang activity. During this period, there were 226 youth victims of serious violence (excluding actual bodily harm) in the borough, which represented 2.8% of these offences for London overall (n = 8,151). Similarly, there were 51 youth victims (aged under 25) of knife crime with injury, accounting for 2.4% of such offences in London (n = 2,132). However, over the same period, there were fewer than 10 gun discharges (involving lethal barrelled weapons only) in Barnet.[36]

 

[34] Barnet Safer Communities Partnership and Community Safety Team of London Borough of Barnet (2018).

[35] London Borough of Barnet (2018). Community Safety Team. [Based on the Community Safety Gangs Profile 2017].

[36] The Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC, 2018). Gang Crime and Serious Youth Violence Dashboard. Available at: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/data-and-statistics/crime%20/gangs-dashboard 

9.9 Preventing terrorism and extremism

Updated in June 2018, “CONTEST” is the United Kingdom’s Strategy for Countering Terrorism and is based around; “the tried and tested strategic framework of four ‘P’ work strands…

• prevent: to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism
• pursue: to stop terrorist attacks
• protect: to strengthen our protection against a terrorist attack
• prepare: to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack.”[37]

Prevent is one of the four key workstreams of the CONTEST strategy and requires the Home Office to work with local authorities, the NHS, other government departments and a wide variety of organisations in the community, to reduce the causes of radicalisation and safeguard and support vulnerable people at risk of becoming terrorists or supporting terrorist organisations (see Figure 9.13). In doing this, “Prevent works in a similar way to programmes designed to safeguard people from gangs, drug abuse, and physical and sexual abuse. Success means an enhanced response to tackle the causes of radicalisation, in communities and online; continued effective support to those who are vulnerable to radicalisation; and disengagement from terrorist activities by those already engaged in or supporters of terrorism.”[38]

Local authorities play a vital role in preventing people from being drawn into terrorism and they have responsibilities under the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015, which are specified by their “Prevent duty.”[39]

Figure 9.13: Prevent Delivery Model

Source: Home Office (2018). Policy paper. Counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST) 2018.

The main objective of the Barnet Prevent Strategy 2017-2020 is; “To keep the people of Barnet safe by accurately identifying people vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism and/or violent extremism and to safeguarding children and adults by providing early intervention to protect and divert people away from being drawn into terrorist activity.”[40] To deliver this Prevent Strategy locally, the London Borough of Barnet (LBB) has a full time Prevent co-ordinator, as well as a Prevent Education Officer, who engages with schools and other educational establishments to provide guidance and ensure that all relevant staff receive Prevent training.[41]

Published in October 2015, the government’s Counter-Extremism Strategy provides an overarching approach to tackling extremism in the UK. This document defines extremism as; “… the vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.” The Counter-Extremism Strategy identifies the global rise of Islamic extremism (in the form of Al Qa’ida (AQ) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)) as the greatest threat, but also recognises the danger posed by neo-Nazi and extreme right-wing groups. The strategy sees local authorities as having; “a powerful role to play in combating extremism,” and commits the government to ensuring that they have clear guidance on the full range of tools available to them to combat extremism.[42]

 

[37] Home Office (2018). Policy paper. Counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST) 2018. Available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counter-terrorism-strategy-contest-2018

[38] HM Government (2018). CONTEST: The United Kingdom’s Strategy for Countering Terrorism, June 2018 (p.31-32). Available at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/716907/140618_CCS207_CCS0218929798-1_CONTEST_3.0_WEB.pdf

[39] HM Government (2016). Statutory guidance; Prevent duty guidance. Revised Prevent duty guidance: for England and Wales. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance

[40] London Borough of Barnet (2017). Radicalisation and Prevent. Prevent: Barnet Council Prevent Strategy (PDF). Available at: https://www.barnet.gov.uk/citizen-home/housing-and-community/community-safety/radicalisation.html

[41] London Borough of Barnet (2018). Community Safety Team.

[42] HM Government (2015). Counter-Extremism Strategy (p.9-10, 27). Available at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/470088/51859_Cm9148_Accessible.pdf

9.10 Perspectives on crime in Barnet

According to the Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) for the year ending in September 2019, there was no change in overall level of crime, however this masked variation in individual crime types. Whilst there was no annual change in violence, theft or computer misuse, there was a 12% increase in robbery, 9% increase in fraud, 7% increase in offences involving knives and sharp instruments and a 4% increase in vehicle offences. In contrast, homicide fell by 6% and burglary by 4%, over the same period.[43] 

Nationally, many more people worry about crime than experience it,[44] and at a local level, crime has been rated as the top overall concern by Barnet residents (39%), closely followed by the lack of affordable housing. Linked to this, the recent Public Attitude Survey covering the 12 months up to September 2018, found that only 41% of residents felt well informed about police activities, 3% lower than the London average. However, 70% of residents surveyed agreed that the police were doing a good job and 73% agreed that they listened to the concerns of local people.[45]

The risk of crime in Barnet does however vary according to location. In the year ending December 2019, the highest crime volumes were found in West Hendon (8.7% of recorded crime in Barnet), Child’s Hill (7.4%) and Colindale (6.6%), whereas the wards with the lowest levels of recorded crime were Finchley Church End (3.3%), Hale (3.1%) and Totteridge (2.8%).[46]

A sanctioned detection is a resolved case through police generated detection and “occurs when a suspect has been identified and charged, reported for summons, cautioned, issued with a penalty notice or the offence has been taken into consideration when the offender is sentenced.” [47] During the 2017/18 financial year, sanction detection rates (i.e. the proportion of offences that led to a sanctioned detection) fell slightly in Barnet compared to the previous year, although this is in line with the London average, which fell by 3%. However, drugs offences continue to have a high sanction detection rate in Barnet, and handling stolen goods and going equipped had sanction detection rates of 90% and 80% respectively.[48]

The proportion of sanctioned detections, by crime type, between January 2018 and December 2019, is depicted for Barnet by Figure 9.14. During this period, there were 4,212 sanctioned detections in Barnet, with almost a third (32%) of these accounted for by violence against the person (n = 1,346).

Over a fifth of sanctioned detections were drug offences (21%; n = 876), with theft accounting for over one in ten (11%; n = 483).

When combined, public order offences (7%; n = 275), arson & criminal damage (6%; n = 257) and burglary (6%; n = 241) represented a fifth of sanctioned detections, whilst possession of weapons (5%; n = 208) and miscellaneous crimes against society (5%; n = 202), each accounted for one in twenty of sanctioned detections over the period.

Vehicles offences (n = 128) and robbery (n = 108) each represented 3% of sanctioned detections for Barnet between January 2018 and December 2019, whilst one in fifty were for sexual offences (2%; n = 88).[49]

Figure 9.14: Sanctioned detections in Barnet by type of crime, percentage, January 2018 – December 2019

 

Source: Metropolitan Police (2020). Crime Data Dashboard.

Barnet remains a safe place to visit, live and work,[50] however if it is to remain one of London’s safest boroughs against a background of reduced funding from central government, it is essential that the borough continues to work efficiently, effectively and imaginatively with its Safer Community partners and other organisations within the community and voluntary sector.[51]

 

[43] Office for National Statistics (ONS, 2020). Crime in England and Wales: year ending September 2019. Crime against households and adults, also including data on crime experienced by children, and crimes against businesses and society. Available at:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember2019 

[44] Office for National Statistics (ONS, 2017). Article: People greatly overestimate their likelihood of being robbed. Available at:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/peoplegreatlyoverestimatetheirlikelihoodofbeingrobbed/2017-09-07 

[45] London Borough of Barnet (2018). Community Safety Team.

[46] Greater London Authority (2020). London Datastore. Recorded Crime: Geographic Breakdown. MPS Ward Level Crime (most recent 24 months). Available at:https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/recorded_crime_summary 

[47] London Borough of Barnet (2015). Community safety. Barnet Community Safety Strategy 2015/2020 (p. 31). Available at: https://www.barnet.gov.uk/citizen-home/housing-and-community/community-safety.html 

[48] London Borough of Barnet (LBB, 2018). Community Support Team.

[49] Metropolitan Police (2020). Crime Data Dashboard. Available at: https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/crime-data-dashboard/

[50] London Borough of Barnet (2018). Community Safety Team.

[51] London Borough of Barnet (2015). Community safety. Barnet Community Safety Strategy 2015/2020 (p. 6). Available at: https://www.barnet.gov.uk/citizen-home/housing-and-community/community-safety.html