WOODFORD GREEN: Area among country's top burglary hotspots (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Insurance claims for burglary in Woodford Green among highest in country according to Money Supermarket research

8:20am Saturday 4th February 2012 in Redbridge News By Dominic Sutton

Det Ch Supt Williams has refused to rule out moving Safer Neighbourhood Teams from the area

NEW figures reveal Woodford Green to be one of the country’s theft and burglary hotspots.

Research carried out by insurance company Money Supermarket, shows that a higher proportion of insurance claims in Woodford Green are as a result of theft or burglary than almost anywhere else in the country.

The company analysed claims from households in every UK postcode and found that 26.2 out of every 1000 claims made in Woodford Green related to theft or burglary – the 13th highest total in the country.

The announcement is worrying news for Redbridge Police.

The Met’s own crime figures show that there was a 17.1 per cent rise in the number of residential burglaries in the borough between December 2010 and December 2011.

The problem prompted Borough Commander Sue Williams to appoint a new burglary chief, Stewart Hill, who has reorganised the borough’s burglary squad.

Figures show the situation in Woodford Green is almost as bad now as it was a year ago.

There have been several high profile thefts of Asian gold in the area and, according to the Home Office’s police.uk website, there were 41 burglaries within the IG8 postcode in December alone.

That figure is just three fewer than in the corresponding month for 2010, and residents in one street - Waverley Road - suffered five burglaries between them in December.

Kate Coughlan, 34, of Lechmere Avenue, was burgled in April of last year.

She said: “I don’t feel threatened by crime in Woodford Green, but in terms of burglary, I suppose this is an affluent area.

“The police were very good to us, but they never caught the burglars.”

The statistics are likely to be seized upon by campaigners who fear Redbridge Police are planning to close Woodford Police Station.

Det Ch Supt Williams has refused to rule out moving Safer Neighbourhood Teams from the area despite fierce local opposition.

And she is not convinced by Money Supermarket's figures.

She said: “I don’t know how they came up with these statistics.

“Do we know how many of these claims are even real?

“For example we have a lot of robberies which involve mobile phones.

“Some of those involve people who can’t get a new phone unless they report it stolen.”

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