The Metropolitan Police Flying Squad has achieved great success during the past 12 months, reducing commercial robberies in the Capital by 33%.
At the same time, Scotland Yard's latest figures show a dramatic fall in the number of armed raids committed during 2003 when compared with the previous year.

Robberies on building societies have apparently been reduced by 80%. In 2003 there were two armed robberies at building societies in London compared with ten in 2002. Meantime, bank robberies are down by 78.7%.

The good news for security managers is that significant falls recorded by banks and building societies are replicated elsewhere in the commercial sector. Post Office robberies, for example, are down by nearly 60%, while those committed at jewellery stores have also fallen, this time by 38%.

In all, the Flying Squad has managed to drive down armed robberies across all commercial sectors in London.

The overall figures are:

  • Cash-in-Transit: 24.6% reduction (2003 – 156, 2002 – 207)

  • Banks: 78.7% reduction (2003 – 27, 2002 – 127)

  • Building societies: 80% reduction (2003 – 2, 2002 – 10)

  • Post Offices: 50.9% reduction (2003 – 54, 2002 – 110)

  • Betting Offices: 1.67% reduction (2003 – 176, 2002 – 179)

  • Jewellers: 37.8% reduction (2003 – 403, 2002 – 586)

  • All other premises: 33% reduction (2003 – 403, 2002 – 586).

    Speaking to SMT about these impressive statistics, Flying Squad Detective Superintendent Rick Reynolds commented: "Our success can be attributed to good intelligence gathering and greatly increased forensic capabilities."

Source

SMT