CRIME in Hounslow has fallen by just over 10 per cent in a single year, according to the latest figures.

In the 12 months to March, 22,501 offences were recorded across the borough, down from 24,774 the previous year, according to Metropolitan Police statistics.

Knife crime fell by 12 per cent, from 340 offences in 2011/12 to 298.

Violent crime and robberies also dropped, by six and five per cent respectively, but there was a slight increase in burglaries, up two per cent to 2,962. Incidents of homophobic crime rose from 15 in 2011/12 to 27.

The reduction in crime in Hounslow is one of the best in London; capital-wide there has been a fall in recorded offences of six per cent.

Hounslow's borough commander, Detective Chief Superintendent Carl Bussey, praised his staff for their hard work during a difficult year, in which officers were called up to help police the Queen’s diamond jubilee ceremony and the Olympics, and other events.

"My staff have worked extremely hard to reduce crime in hotspots through effective tasking and offender management, to support victims and to increase community confidence," Mr Bussey said. "Victim satisfaction is on the increase in Hounslow and we expect our better care of victims to have an impact on cutting crime – we know we gather better information and evidence when we visit victims, and we can help victims protect themselves from further crime."

The Mayor of London has challenged the Met to cut neighbourhood crimes by a fifth by 2016, a target Mr Bussey said he is confident Hounslow can achieve.

The Met has launched a campaign to tackle theft, which increased by 17 per cent last year. People are being urged never to leave their phones unattended and to take particular care of mobiles in bars, cafés, restaurants and music venues, where such crimes are rife.