Greenwich’s Labour Councillors have voted to continue funding for the Violent and Organised Crime Unit which has helped to bring crime down in the Borough.

The Unit, which started work a year ago, receives £1m a year from Greenwich Council and has already made a huge difference.

So far it has succeeded in putting a number of violent offenders in jail for a total of 33 years and as a result of its operations gun crime has fallen by 56% and knife crime has been reduced by more than 10%.

That is 1266 fewer crimes in Greenwich since the Unit was introduced and violent crime, criminal damage, burglary, robbery, theft, drug offences and thefts have all fallen significantly recently.

The funding to continue the Unit was agreed in spite of Greenwich Conservatives failing for the third time to support it.

Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services Councillor Maureen O’Mara said: “I am really pleased that this Unit has made such an impact in such a short space of time.

"Our Borough is now safer than before and although each crime is a tragedy, the number of crimes is falling and I was disappointed that the Conservatives could not support the good work that is being done, not once, not twice but now on three occasions.”