WALTHAMSTOW Central station remains one of the worst areas for robberies in the borough, says Waltham Forest's leading policeman.

Borough Commander Mark Benbow ranked it and Leyton High Road as hotspots, while emphasising that most crime took place south of the A406, in Walthamstow, Leyton and Leytonstone.

Speaking at the police community consultative group, he warned that people carrying mobile phones and MP3 players were attractive targets for muggers.

And he advised people not to use mobile phones in public and to change the distinctive white headphones of an Apple i-pod to something less conspicuous.

He also highlighted the trend for theft of disabled car parking badges which he said could be sold on the internet auction site e-bay for around £500, and Ch Supt Benbow said the police and the council were looking at how the badges could be made more secure.

But he did have good news for residents. The number of burglaries in the borough has fallen significantly, a fact which he put down to more arrests and better detection.

Reports of domestic violence have risen by 11 per cent. Mr Benbow said this did not imply there had been more incidents, simply more calls to police.

Revising the previous crime figures presented in January, he said the number of people reported to have been stopped and searched in Waltham Forest, 872, was almost double the actual figure which would have been closer to the 338 recorded in the latest report.

He added that around one in ten people subject to a stop and search would be arrested, and although it was an effective method of policing, it was also emotive and could be politicised so it could be kept in check by the community.

Mr Benbow said: "We have actually pushed down crime in the borough. We have a detection rate of 15.8 per cent which is the highest it has ever been in the borough so we are catching and charging criminals."