Harrow Road has the 18th highest burglary rate in London, new Met figures have shown. The figures, which cover 2007, show that Harrow Road suffered from an average of more than 15 break-ins per 1,000 residents. Mohammed Afzal, chairman of the Harrow Road

Harrow Road has the 18th highest burglary rate in London, new Met figures have shown.

The figures, which cover 2007, show that Harrow Road suffered from an average of more than 15 break-ins per 1,000 residents.

Mohammed Afzal, chairman of the Harrow Road Traders' Association, said: "It's not just burglaries, there's every type of crime. Shops have a lot of trouble. We were at a meeting with the police recently - they are all trying but they are nowhere near solving any of the issues.

"It has gone from bad to worse in the area and we are really upset. Two shops keepers have left recently - they've sold their shops and have gone. In spite of councillors spending a lot of money on Harrow Road the problems are still there."

Mr Afzal, who has lived on the Harrow Road for 25 years, is also chairman of the Queen's Park Muslim Council.

Guthrie McKie, councillor for Harrow Road, said: "I'm not altogether surprised about this. This is a unique ward - all the other wards are estate-based, while Harrow Road has many street properties.

"If you live in a big estate you have security doors. The council is a landlord in a number of properties here - we need a concerted effort from the council for landlords to make sure properties are safe. Residents can't afford things like strong doors, double locks and window locks. It's always disappointing when the poor get robbed."

Westminster also contained some of the safest areas, with Vincent Square and Regent's Park coming in the top 20 areas experiencing from the fewest break-ins.

Vincent Square averaged 2.55 break-ins per 1,000 residents, with Regent's Park at 2.9.

Vincent Square had the 11th lowest rate, and Regent's Park had the 19th. These two were the only inner London wards that featured in the top 20 lowest burglary list.