the area around Hendon Synagogue in North-West London has been classified by the Metropolitan police as having a high crime rate after a spate of 11 recorded property crimes in July.

In Stamford Hill, home to Europe's largest Charedi community, there were seven crimes around the Satmar Beth Hamedrash Yetev Lev synagogue in Cazenove Road - above the average crime rate for the capital.

The information emerged as the Metropolitan Police made available crime maps showing the number of burglaries, robberies and vehicle crimes in London neighbourhoods.

The statistics reveal that crime in the areas surrounding a number of synagogues were high or above-average for the capital.

But overall the maps show that areas with high Jewish populations were not more susceptible to property or vehicle crimes than other parts of the capital.

Most areas were classified as having an average level of crime.

Mark Gardner, spokesman for the Community Security Trust, welcomed the new crime maps. "We regard any analysis of crime as useful in helping to prevent crime.

"I am not surprised Jewish areas are not seeing higher levels of crime, as those areas are not experiencing organised or gang-related crime."

The information is available on the Met's website (maps.met.police.uk), where searches can be made by postcode. Statistics are based on the number of crimes recorded in June and July 2008 in the sub-ward in which the postcode lies. The map also indicates the rate of crime in the area per 1,000 people.