Burglaries on the rise in posh areas of Kingston (From This Is Local London)

Burglaries on the rise in posh areas of Kingston

12:48pm Monday 9th February 2009 in

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Burglaries are on the rise in Kingston as the recession begins to bite, with high value houses in Coombe Hill becoming a more attractive target for criminals.

Four times as many burglaries were reported in the exclusive area in December 2008 compared with the previous year, while break-ins in general across the borough shot up by a quarter over the same period, according to Metropolitan Police figures.

In contrast, generally more deprived areas such as Tolworth, Hook and Chessington North saw dramatic drops in burglaries over the same period, hinting that criminals were changing priorities with the worsening financial crisis.

Rich residents of the swanky Coombe Hill area - including former tennis star Annabel Croft, comedian Jimmy Tarbuck and Rolling Stones bassist Ronnie Wood - have already been on their guard following a spate of “key fishing” in recent months, where criminals hook car and house keys left too close to letterboxes.

But the situation appears to be escalating in the tree-lined area of town, while the burglary rate drops in less-fashionable parts of the borough.

A total of 125 burglaries were reported in Kingston in December - up 23 on the previous year - despite the overall burglary rate only rising by just over 4 per cent between 2007 and 2008.

The news comes just days after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced the recession would not inevitably lead to more burglaries, despite the “historical situation” suggesting an increase in the crime was on the way.

But this information was in direct contrast to a leaked memo from Ms Smith to Gordon Brown last year, which warned of a likely increase of “acquisitive” crimes such as burglary as a result of the economic downturn.

Grove ward in Kingston town centre remained the borough’s burglary hotspot, with more than 12 burglaries per ,1000 members of the population throughout 2008, closely followed by Norbiton and Canbury wards.

A Kingston police spokesman said: "Kingston has had considerable success in reducing domestic Burglary consistently for the past five years.

"In the last quarter of 2008/09 Kingston has experienced its first increase in burglary for a considerable time.

"This increase is being mirrored in other outer London boroughs. Kingston police recognise the considerable impact domestic burglary can have on its victims and are committing considerable recourses to Crime Prevention and arresting those responsible. These resources have resulted in numerous suspects being arrested and charged in the months of December and January for these offences.

"Kingston still remains the the safest borough in London, with the lowest burglary rate, but despite this Kingston police will continue to concentrate their efforts to both reduce burglary offences and arrest and prosecute those responsible."