Would you like crime with that?

I was browsing through the Daily Mail and came across a story about Deptford in London:

The humble London community has been lauded in the New York Times as the latest trendy location to emerge from the capital's melting pot.

The New York Times writer believes that Deptford has "edge"; wikipedia tells us that Deptford is reputed to have;

the capital's most diverse and vibrant high street

But what do you get with the "edge"? I was astonished to read that in 2006 there were nearly 8,500 crimes of violence against the person in Deptford.

That's an extraordinary amount of crime. Deptford has 57,000 residents and 8,500 crimes of violence against the person. I live in a municipality in Melbourne (Nillumbik) with 62,000 residents. In 2007 there were 198 crimes of violence against the person. That means that the crime rate in Deptford is 43 times higher than in Nillumbik, even though the population of Nillumbik is higher.

Little wonder that Deptford resident David Ferndale questions the New York Times travel advice:

Have a look at the local paper - there are stabbings and shootings all the time. You might as well be done with it and book two weeks all-inclusive in Kabul.