Police Jacket Pic: Met Police

New Metropolitan Police figures revealed that Hackney has the third highest number of hit and run casualties in London.

In 2012, the latest year for which figures are available, there were nearly 4,000 injuries arising from hit and run collisions across London. The figures show an increase each year from 2009.

A total of 219 people were injured in Hackney, whereof two were killed and 25 seriously injured.

The east London borough was only lower than Newham and Westminster with 225 and 220 respectively.

The figures, obtained by the Green group in the London Assembly, show how 40 per cent of casualties were car occupants, the next largest group were pedestrians, with one in five casualties being a cyclist.

The Greens attributed the high number of casualties in Hackney to the borough’s deprivation and the fact that many people wanted to keep out of contact with the police.

A spokesperson for the party said: “Mostly it is linked to low incomes, people dodge paying road tax and insurance, they then want to get clear of the scene of a crash.”

Illegal drivers in London are seen by the Metropolitan Police as a significant reason for the large number.

A spokesperson for Hackney Council made clear their strong willing to reduce these alarming numbers: “We continue to work closely with the police in terms of our efforts to stop vehicles that are uninsured.”

By Martina Melli