People would expect the highest of security measures at London's royal palaces. However, an "astonishing" statistic recently released revealed that in the past three years, hundreds of crimes have taken place in or near royal households, with the majority going unpunished. London's Metropolitan Police reported that 470 offences were recorded at Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, St James' Palace and Clarence House between 2019 and 2021. The latter abode is home to Charles, Prince of Wales, who is heir to the British throne. The crimes included arson, theft, drugs possession, robbery, and violence against a person. Less than one per cent of the crimes led to anyone being cautioned, fined or charged.
Dai Davies, a former Head of Royal Protection, said the number of crimes reported was "frightening". He told Britain's Sky News: "If you can steal or cause incidents at or 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." The Metropolitan Police replied: "The Met has responsibility for security in and around the royal palaces, but we will not comment on matters relating to security." It added: "The majority of offences committed at or within the vicinity of the palaces were thefts. Officers will always endeavour to pursue all viable and proportionate lines of enquiry."
