Blunkett 'winning war on muggers'

The Government will tomorrow declare a breakthrough in tackling London's street crime epidemic.

Home Secretary David Blunkett and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens will visit an area of south London where attacks have fallen.

The Home Office will issue figures expected to show across- the- board progress in the fight against muggers. The move follows Tony Blair's promise in April that street crime would be "brought under control" by September.

The pledge, made in a Commons exchange with Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, took observers by surprise because at the time crime still appeared to be rising. Tomorrow's announcements could allow the Government to claim that the promise has now been met.

Mr Blair set up an emergency Cabinet committee in February to co-ordinate the war on street crime, and ordered 10 police forces to report weekly statistics direct to ministers.

Police notched up successes over the summer. Figures released a month ago showed that robberies and muggings in London fell from a record 232 a day at the end of last year to 154 a day in July.

Sir John welcomed the progress and paid tribute to the Evening Standard's Fight Street Crime campaign, which he said had put police and politicians under pressure to act.