People think the security measures at London's royal palaces are incredibly tight. However, new statistics have revealed that in the past three years, hundreds of crimes have taken place at royal households. Most of these have gone unpunished. London's police force said 470 offences were recorded at Buckingham Palace and other palaces between 2019 and 2021. The crimes included arson, theft, drugs possession, robbery, and violence against people. In less than one per cent of the crimes, someone was cautioned, fined or charged.
A former head of the UK's royal protection service said the number of crimes was "frightening". He said: "If you can steal or cause incidents...near the royals, what does that say about the current security? If these offences have an impact on the personal safety of the royals, that would give me great concern." London's police said while it was responsible for security in and around royal palaces, it would not comment on such matters. It said most offences committed near the palaces were thefts. It added it would always "pursue all viable and proportionate lines of enquiry".