Hackney ranked by Peace Index third least peaceful area in England and Wales

Hackney weapons crimes per 100,000 (*Incidents per year)

Research published by the Institute of Economics and Peace has found Hackney to be the third least peaceful place in England and Wales.

According to the 2013 UK Peace Index (UKPI), the five least peaceful local authority areas are all in London. Hackney scored marginally better than Lewisham and Lambeth, which claimed first and second spots, while Tower Hamlets was fifth.

The UKPI calculated ‘peacefulness’ over a 10-year period to 2012 using five basic indicators: homicides, violent crime rates, weapons crimes, public disorder offences and the number of police officers.

Although trends in Hackney showed a steady decline in violent crime from 2006, the borough was awarded the worst possible score for violent crime because levels exceeded double the national average over the decade.

Levels of weapons incidents in Hackney were also high, at three times the national average. Despite this, the report highlighted the “noteworthy precipitous drop” between 2004 and 2012. This period marked a decline of over two-thirds from a peak in 2004, Hackney’s worst year for weapons crime during which figures topped four times the national average.

Other findings included poor education rates, with 20 per cent of Hackney residents not having any education qualifications, as well as over a third of household incomes falling below 60 per cent of the median.

The non-profit research organisation found that measures of poverty and economic opportunity were the strongest correlates of peace.

Founder and executive chairman of IEP, Steve Killelea, said: “A greater emphasis needs to be placed on programmes that tackle poverty and related issues such as education.”

The Hackney Citizen contacted Hackney Council and the Hackney Metropolitan Police for comment and is awaiting response.