Pic: Chief Superintendent Russell Nyman

Figures released today show that crime in Lewisham has dropped by 8.6 per cent since last year, the largest drop in crime of any London borough. These come on the day that the borough’s police commander holds his first live web chat with residents.

People from Lewisham will put their questions to Chief Superintendent Russell Nyman, which is to be streamed live on EastLondonLines from 6:45pm until 7:45pm.

The statistics show that while hate crime and gun crime have risen; robbery, domestic violence and violent crime have all fallen.

Hackney has seen a 1.5 per cent increase in crime, Croydon has a 1.5 per cent reduction, and Tower Hamlets is the only one of the EastLondonLines boroughs where crime rates have stayed the same. The overall decrease in crime across all London boroughs has been 2.6 per cent.

On Wednesday, EastLondonLines reported on a man who was stabbed on New Cross Road. The report also includes details of another stabbing in New Cross last month for which the Metropolitan Police have released an e-fit of the suspect.

An interactive map showing London crime rates and borough breakdowns can be found here.

The ‘Ask Lewisham’ live web chat is part of the police commissioners aim to hear as much from the public as possible and gain views on how the Metropolitan Police Service can be the best police service.

Speaking about the web chat, Nyman said: “This is a great opportunity to directly engage with the residents of Lewisham and find out about their concerns.”

“I want to hear what they think about policing in Lewisham, what we are doing well and what we need to do better at.”

You can view the web chat at East London Lines and submit your questions on Twitter via #AskLewisham or on the Met Police website .