A senior Harrow councillor has defended recent Labour administrations’ approach to crime and insisted the borough is a safe place to live.

Cllr Krishna Suresh, responsible for crime and community cohesion at Harrow Council, pointed out that, statistically, the borough is the second safest in London.

He said the council should be “proud” of its contribution to combatting crime in Harrow but that there is still more to do, particularly around burglaries.

“We have made a significant difference in the reduction of violent crime, which is one of our priorities,” he said.

“The ‘Safer Harrow Partnership’, with its focus on high harm and violent crime has made a significant difference. Harrow is a safer place and our residents are safer.”

It came after Conservative councillor Anjana Patel noted that, between May 2016 and June 2019, there were almost 6,700 more crimes recorded in Harrow than the period of three years before.

She pointed out that the increase coincides with London mayor Sadiq Khan’s time in office and suggested he should focus on reducing crime on the city’s streets above all.

But Cllr Suresh said the rise in crime is linked to police funding cuts by recent Conservative governments.

“The number of police on the streets is likely to make a difference – I therefore look forward to the reversal of government cuts so the number of crimes can be brought down,” he said.

“We are also putting pressure on the Government to give more resources to Harrow.”