A senior councillor says reducing violent crime and anti-social behaviour in Harrow is a key goal this year after a report revealed the council missed its most recent targets.

Cllr Krishna Suresh, who is responsible for crime and community cohesion at Harrow Council, said everyone would continue with their efforts despite clear financial “challenges”.

He said there were reduced resources for tackling crime in the borough but said council staff, police officers and voluntary organisations are still achieving positive results.

The council’s latest strategic performance report showed it missed its targets in terms of the number of violent and anti-social behaviour incidents in Harrow.

It also fell short on incidents of domestic abuse but was on track for knife crime injuries among under 25s.

Cllr Suresh said: “We have worked hard to reduce violent behaviour in Harrow in the face of severe funding challenges.

“I am really proud of the joint work that we do across Harrow with the police, voluntary groups and partners, which is showing such a huge difference to tackle knife crime, violent crime and ASB.

“I am extremely thankful for the support received by the Violence Reduction Unit, who target the worst offenders, and Harrow Young Foundation, who co-ordinate funding bids to provide desperately needed intervention services for our younger people.”

He added that it is important to make sure all residents feel “safe in their homes and on our streets” throughout 2020 and beyond.