Violence rise 'due to downturn'

Mr Godwin said says the stress of job loss could lead to domestic violence

A rise in domestic violence in London could be the result of the economic downturn, a senior Metropolitan Police officer has said.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin told a London Assembly meeting the force was also expecting an increase in shoplifting, theft and business crime.

He said tourism-linked offences had already increased as foreigners attracted by a weak pound flocked in.

Mr Godwin was outlining how the Met was preparing for the inevitable recession.

He told a budget and performance committee meeting: "We are expecting from previous experience that we will get an increase in areas of criminality such as retail crime and business crime.

Cause and effect

"We have already seen an increase in domestic violence.

"Sometimes cause and effect can be difficult to pin down. Some people would say it is because people are more confident in reporting domestic violence.

"Other people would say it is because stress in terms of lost jobs etc can create tensions in families.

"This can be one of the risk factors we look at."

The meeting also heard assurances that frontline police numbers would remain stable despite tough targets for efficiency saving, including a £142m reduction in spending over the next financial year.

Kit Malthouse, London's deputy mayor for policing, rejected claims there would inevitably be fewer officers and said there were many other areas where financial savings could be made.

He said: "It will be the same number of police officers but they will be better."

The meeting heard how the Met would save money by replacing uniformed officers with civilian staff in custody suites and other administrative roles.