Violent crime numbers in Havering rebounded last year after a decline in 2020.

Data from the Met’s crime data dashboard shows there were 5,566 violence against the person offences in the borough in 2021.

This was the highest annual figure recorded for Havering in the database, which was set up in 2013.

In less than a decade the figure has more than doubled; in 2013, the first full year of recorded figures available on the database, there were 2,760 violence against the person offences.

The total number of violence against the person offences in Havering has risen every year since 2017, except during 2020, when successive lockdowns saw declines in several crime categories.

The growth has been driven by an increase in violence without injury offences, which have also risen every year since 2017 and reached 3,756 last year.

There were 1,807 violence with injury offences recorded in 2021, a sharp rebound from the 1,540 recorded the year prior.

However, this figure was lower than 2019’s 1,878 and the figure had fallen for two consecutive years prior to that, from a peak of 2,017 in 2017.

There were three homicides recorded in the borough last year, compared with zero in 2020 and four in 2019.

A spokesperson for the Met said it was “absolutely critical” to drive down violent crime in London.

They noted that across London as a whole, in the year to October 2021, violent crimes including homicides, knife crime, personal robbery and gun crime were all down compared with the same period prior to the pandemic.

They said: “Our plans are strong and officers are using a range of tactics from prevention and diversion activities to enforcement.

“Our continued efforts are starting to have a collective impact, with data showing positive reductions across serious violent crime categories.

“Despite these reductions, we are not complacent and know there is more to do.

“Our determination to tackle these crimes remains strong and we will continue to work with our partners, and use every power and tactic available, to serve and protect our communities.”