KNIFE crime in Bexley has nearly halved in the last six months, according to the latest figures for Bexley, released by the Met. Police .

Between April and September this year, crimes involving knives dropped to 60, from 104 for the same period last year, a fall of more than 42 per cent.

The police put the reduction down to the London-wide Operation Blunt 2 which instigated knife stop-and-searches, and the work neighbourhood officers and Bexley Community Safety Partnership have been doing with young people.

The drop in knife crime comes against a backdrop of falling crime rates in general and a rise in public satisfaction with policing.

Crime overall is down 1.1 per cent, while a survey by the Met. has shown 81 per cent of those asked, were satisfied with the service provided by Bexley police.

The most serious youth violence has also dropped by 35.6 per cent, with youth violence overall down by 16.2 per cent, from 278 offences to 233.

Personal robbery in the borough is down 12.6 per cent on the same period last year, from 143 to 125 offences.

Bexley has also seen the largest reduction in the Met. for residential burglaries, down almost 20 per cent, to 570 this year, compared with 712 last year.

Superintendent Glyn Jones said: ““We have had some significant successes following a range of proactive policing initiatives to tackle burglary, and in the last six months 27 people have been convicted which in real terms is an 87.10 per cent successful conviction rate for burglary.”

But spikes in the burglary rates continue to occur.

Mr Jones said across the last weekend of September there were 26 burglaries, in spite of additional patrols.

He said the police and partners were using a variety of means to try and combat burglary, which is a borough crime priority.

These include high visibility patrols, targeting known offenders, stop and searches, search warrants and using the borough’s mobile CCTV van.

But he said the public could also help reduce the number of break-ins by taking precautions such as locking doors and windows, particularly uPVC doors and by keeping car keys somewhere safe and out of sight.

Councillor Katie Perrior, Bexley Council cabinet member for community affairs said: “This is yet another example of how close partnership working can reduce crime and disorder.

"We have recently secured additional funding of £100,000 from the Home Office to help us make it even more difficult for burglars to commit crimes in Bexley, by improving crime prevention measures in key locations such as property marking and physical environmental improvements."

Bexley Police offered this advice on home to keep your home secure:

Regularly check the security of your home. If you are not sure or need advice contact your local Safer Neighbourhoods policing team who can send you with useful crime prevention information and even visit you in your own home.

Other help available includes the Bobby Van Service. As a Bexley resident you are entitled to a FREE security assessment and upgrade to your home. Bexley Community Safety Partnership through Victim Support Bexley offer residents a range of improvements to provide greater security to their homes. To receive this service is call Freephone 0800 389 5013 to register your interest.

If you do not have one, fit an alarm and at night activate it to protect the downstairs and hallway.

Consider buying a property marking kit such as SmartWater, a colourless liquid which can be dabbed onto personal possessions such as jewellery, ornaments and electrical equipment. Each tiny drop is invisible to the naked eye and has a unique code, a lot like a fingerprint, and is almost impossible to remove.