Working Together for a Safer Chislehurst
As your ward councillors, we meet with local police several times a year to discuss the issues affecting Chislehurst. While policing decisions ultimately sit with the police, our role is to ensure your concerns are raised clearly and consistently, and that local priorities are firmly on the agenda.
Encouraging Trends in Crime Figures
The latest crime statistics bring some positive news. Overall recorded crime remains lower than it was in 2022, despite some year-to-year fluctuations.
In particular:
- Reports of anti-social behaviour have more than halved since 2022, a significant improvement for our community.
- Criminal damage and arson have fallen by 25%.
- Violence and sexual offences have reduced by more than 10% compared to previous years.
- These reductions reflect the impact of focused policing, partnership working, and community awareness.
Areas That Still Need Attention
However, not all trends are moving in the right direction. Burglary, shoplifting and other theft offences have increased since 2022, and these remain key concerns that we continue to raise directly with local officers. Vehicle crime has remained broadly steady.
The Most Important Thing You Can Do
There is one action that makes the biggest difference to policing in our area:
Report crime, every time.
- If incidents are not reported, they are not recorded.
If they are not recorded, police resources cannot be properly allocated.
Accurate reporting helps police build reliable intelligence, identify hotspots, and direct patrols and operations where they are most needed.
We strongly encourage residents to:
- Report every incident, even if it seems minor
- Join Met Engage to receive updates and share feedback
- Attend local police surgeries to raise concerns directly
- Come along to our Chislehurst Neighbourhood Police meetings to hear updates and ask questions
Community involvement genuinely matters. The more accurate the information police receive, the more effective their response can be.
A Shared Commitment
Keeping Chislehurst safe is a collective effort. Residents, businesses, police and councillors all have a role to play. By continuing to work together, we can build on the progress made and tackle the areas where improvement is still needed.
If there is anything we can help you with, please do get in touch.
Take care,
Cllr Mike Jack
Cllr Mark Smith
Cllr Alison Stammers
