Violence and sexual offences is now the most commonly reported crime in Putney’s Thamesfield wards, with 24 incidents in March 2026, ahead of shoplifting (19), anti-social behaviour (18) and vehicle crime (16).
The shift in the crime table explains why the ward’s Safer Neighbourhoods Team reinstated street violence as a policing priority in March, just weeks after residents dropped it at the February ward panel. A summer crime plan for Putney High Street starts on 30 June and runs through to October, with officers committed to direct patrols around the High Street and Putney Exchange during peak retail hours.
The ward panel meets tonight, Wednesday 20 May, at 6:30pm at St Mary’s Church by the bridge. Officers will present updated Q1 2026 figures at the meeting.
Overall crime in Thamesfield has fallen consistently through the first quarter of 2026, from 149 incidents in January to 138 in February to 125 in March, the lowest monthly total in the past 12 months. October 2025 was the peak at 178 incidents; the ward has recorded roughly 30% fewer crimes in the five months since.
Violence has remained sticky at the top of the crime table despite that broader fall, and the summer months historically push it higher. The summer crime plan is designed to sustain a fall that is already under way.
For businesses on the High Street, the picture looks different: shoplifting remains their top concern. Officers are working with youth services to steer young people away from violent street crime, running Op Retail with shared data to identify repeat shoplifting offenders, and attending quarterly Pubwatch meetings on night-time economy issues.
Motor vehicle crime remains a priority, with Point Pleasant next to Wandsworth Park identified as the current hotspot alongside the High Street. The category recorded 16 incidents in March.
The wider picture is sharper: vehicle crime surged 72% between the summer and autumn quarters of 2025, from 43 incidents to 74. Officers from the Met’s Design Out Crime team are reviewing whether physical changes, including metal gates, could reduce quick escape routes. A council decision on whether to reduce Point Pleasant’s opening hours is also pending.
Burglary recorded 7 incidents in March and has been on a 15-month downward trend. But in early May, PC Damian Catherall issued an alert about a new reconnaissance method: stickers advertising 24-hour locksmith services had been placed on doorbells and door frames in Dryad Street, Felsham Road and Bangalore Street SW15, apparently to test whether properties are occupied. Several attempted burglaries in Felsham Road and Putney Bridge Road followed in the same period.
If a locksmith sticker appears on your door and you did not call a locksmith, remove it and report it to 101.
Beyond crime, High Street traders have flagged pavement cleanliness as a persistent concern. The council has been pressure washing recently, but traders say the effect lasts only a few weeks before the pavements are dirty again.
Attend tonight
The Thamesfield Ward Panel meets tonight at 6:30pm at St Mary’s Church. Ward panel meetings are the public forum where residents can question local officers directly and set local priorities. Future meetings are scheduled for 2 September and 1 December 2026.
To report a crime: 999 in an emergency, 101 for non-emergencies, or online at met.police.uk/ro/report.
To contact the SNT: Thamesfield@met.police.uk
To sign up for local crime alerts: metengage.co.uk
