The Met have caught our bug for mapping and freaked out the Daily Mail by making crime maps available online. Based on Google maps the whole of London is now shaded in to show you levels of criminal activity by borough, ward and sub-ward and gives detailed stats on the types of offences committed.
Zoom in to see how Islington is mainly 'average' for London when it comes to crime but that bit round Highbury Corner is bright red - yep, a spanking crime hotspot so hang on to your handbags round High and I station. Pick a certain crime type - residential burglary, say - and New Malden suddenly pops out like a desirably safe place to live, surrounded as it is by chunks of blue, and to hell with the Surrey borders location. Then again, it's next door to Sutton which is a hotspot for the most serious sort of violence against the person. Doh. Feed your paranoia here. Enjoy.
And we'd just like to congratulate The Mail for dovetailing this story with a handy reminder of how Google Streetview can be used to casing joints and targetting victims. Nice work.
