Crime in Lewisham has fallen over the past year by 10.1 per cent with 2,501 fewer crimes reported, according to police.

The Met’s annual crime figures reveal residential burglaries – which were a top priority for officers in the previous year – were down by eight per cent between March 2013 to March 2014 compared to the year before.

The number of personal robberies decreased by 13 per cent with 165 fewer crimes reported than the previous year while gun crime was also down by 35 per cent for the same period.

However, reports of racist and religious hate crime increased from 301 to 338 whilst Islamophobic crime rose from 13 to 16 offences and homophobic crime from 36 to 62.

Crimes of violence against the person also increased by nine percent from 5,765 to 6,311, while domestic crime rose from 1,984 to 2,302, and reports of rape from 132 to 191.

Lewisham Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Russell Nyman said: "Overall crime continues to fall in Lewisham and my aim, of course, is to carry on ensuring that crime continues to fall and that victims remain the centre and focus of what we do and that we strive to provide a first class service to the public whom we serve.”

Lewisham Police urged people to report hate crime, homophobic and domestic violence which are often under reported.

To read the full report visit met.police.uk/crimefigures