The visits were previously announced by Met Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe when appearing before the London Assembly’s crime and policing committee.
Under Operation Promote victims of criminal damage, car and cycle theft and harassment will be able to report the incident by phone, at a police station or by making an appointment for an officer to see them at a convenient time and place.
The Met says the scheme has seen “an extra 3000 victims receiving a visit”, a 55% increase in such visits.
Assistant Commissioner Simon Byrne, head of Territorial Policing in the Met, said: “This is about improving how we treat and support victims of crime by tailoring our services to better meet their needs.
“We know that we need to improve how we treat victims – especially of perceived lower level crimes – so that more people are more satisfied in our services. We can’t promise we’ll solve more cases by visiting victims but we’ll certainly be able to give a better service.
“We also know that people will be happy with a phone call but others will appreciate a more personal interaction. We are just making our services more accessible.”
Commenting on the Met’s initiative Joanne McCartney AM. Chair of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee Joanne McCartney AM, said:
“We raised the Met’s poor performance in dealing with victims of crime with Deputy Commissioner Craig in March. The Police and Crime Committee will be examining how the Met responds to victims and the total package of support that should be offered to people affected by crime at it’s meeting on 14 June.”
