Crime is rising faster in outer London according to Mr Norris

Costs made up by repairs and replacements after vandalism and burglaries and time spent by victims of violent crime in hospital adds up to a total bill of more than �12bn in the last year, he claims.

In a crime "league table" he says that Westminster, Lambeth and Camden are the most badly hit inner London boroughs, while Ealing, Croydon and Barnet are the worst affected boroughs in outer London.

Mr Norris says the figures should be used to identify crime hotspots and concentrate police resources on them.

The report, entitled The Economic Costs of Crime in London, found the figures had risen over the past three years by 11%.

"These figures show that crime is just as much a problem in the leafy suburbs as the inner city", Mr Norris said.

Cost of crime Westminster �975m Lambeth �613m Camden �610m Ealing �465m Croydon �437m Barnet �388m

"What London needs is a mayor who understands the scale of the problem and is prepared to take action.

"What these figures conceal is the huge emotional and psychological impact of every criminal act."

The report also claims that outer London boroughs have borne a disproportionate rate of increase in crime costs in the past three years.

Five boroughs, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Hounslow, Haringey and Harrow, saw increases ranging from 22% to 31%.

The report was produced by Tory London Assembly member Richard Barnes, using statistics from the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police.

"(These figures) show the massive financial benefits that reducing crime would have for the city," Mr Barnes said.

Report 'flawed'

"Despite a rise in police numbers, the cost of crime in London has continued to escalate."

Mr Norris said the answer was not more police officers but using existing resources in a more targeted way and more efficiently.

But London mayor Ken Livingstone accused the report of "trying to pull the wool over Londoners' eyes".

The report is fundamentally flawed - it has more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese", he said.