Sir John Stevens has reportedly hit out at claims that crime in London is on the increase, ahead of June's mayoral elections.

The Metropolitan Police commissioner's move came after comments from Conservative candidate Steven Norris, who has complained of a "tide of rising crime". 

At a recent meeting, his claims that crime had increased by a third between 2000 and 2004 were rebuked by Sir John.

"I'm not going to sit here and listen to those figures," he told Norris.

"They are from a Tory think tank, Civitas.  Figures from the Met Authority show violent crime is down five per cent.  The figures to be released will recognise the excellent work done in this area."

Green call

Green Party candidate Darren Johnson called on Norris and Liberal Democrat candidate Simon Hughes not to campaign on claims of rising crime.

"Each mayoral candidate has been given a briefing by Sir John Stevens, which shows that London is one of the safest areas in the country. The annual British Crime Survey has shown that London has one of the lowest rates of violent crime and only the West of England has lower levels of violent crime per 10,000 population," he said.

"However, that does not mean we should be complacent over crime figures. Fear of crime is one of the most common experiences for Londoners today. Living in fear degrades our lives. We should, of course, minimise risk, but there is no substitute for tackling the underlying causes of crime.

"At the same time, local communities are breaking down, leading to a sense of alienation and lack of civic pride. Police racism and discrimination isn't properly addressed, leaving many Londoners - often from ethnic minorities - suspicious of the police and poorly protected from crime.

"The police will only gain the trust of the community if they become representative, accountable, and approachable."

It has been reported that new statistics will show a two per cent increase in violent crime between 2000 and 2004, but a 2.3 per cent increase in the population between 2001 and 2002.

Victims of crime will also give the Metropolitan Police a satisfaction rating of 67 per cent, compared to a 58 per cent national average, reported the Guardian.