Total crime fell across Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster over the last year.

In the Metropolitan police's yearly crime figures, released on Friday, all three west London boroughs saw a marked decrease in the total numbers of crimes committed in 2008, compared to 2007.

A fall of four per cent was recorded in H & F, 7.6 per cent in K&C and 3.2 per cent in Westminster.

Despite the good news, rape figures rose in all three boroughs - by 55.6 per cent (from 36 to 56) in K&C, by 30.8 per cent in H&F (from 52 to 68) , and by 15.6 per cent in Westminster (from 90 to 104) .

Domestic crime also rose in all boroughs, but other offences had mixed results.

Violent crime increased in both Westminster and H&F, but dropped in the Royal Borough - which did see an 8.1 per cent increase in non residential burglary. Gun crime dropped dramatically in all three districts, down from 78 to 33 in H&F and from 106 to 46 in Westminster.

The Metropolitan police and mayor Boris Johnson have welcomed the encouraging news.

Mayor Boris Johnson, who is also chair of the Metropolitan Police Association, said: "Top marks to the women and men of the Met for a good and encouraging performance over the last twelve months. We are making substantial progress in a number of areas, especially gun and knife crime.

"But now is not the time to relax and congratulate ourselves. Quite the reverse. Now is the time to work even harder in the battle to take back the streets, keep our kids safe, combat business crime and rebuild Londoners confidence and pride in the Metropolitan Police Service."

Hammersmith and Fulham
2008/2007
Total Crimes 22,701/23,644
Homicide 1/6
Violence 4,994/4,925
Rape 68/52
Other sexual 187/157
Robbery 704/915
Burglary 2477/2576
Gun crime 33/78
Motor Vehicle Crime 2,886/3,676
Domestic Crime 1,646/1,223
Racist crime 225/236

Kensington and Chelsea
2008/2007
Total Crimes 22,532/24,376
Homicide 0/0
Violence 3,152/ 3,335
Rape 56/36
Other sexual 122/128
Robbery 528/699
Burglary 1,789/1,963
Gun crime 24/30
Motor Vehicle Crime 2,616/3,005
Domestic Crime 967/712
Racist crime 173/197

Westminster
2008/2007
Total Crimes 63,301/65,395
Homicide 6/5
Violence 8,575/8,334
Rape 104/90
Other sexual 462/462
Robbery 1,730/1,671
Burglary 3,617/3,662
Gun crime 46/106
Motor Vehicle Crime 4,319/3,945
Domestic Crime 1,856/1,272
Racist crime 509/499