The paparazzi have been getting a bad rap for the last few weeks. Just recently a Splash News pap quit as he couldn’t stand the hounding of Britney and said it was dangerous, and Mary-Louise Parker complained on behalf of the Jolie-Pitts. I personally would be perfectly happy to never see another crotch shot, and think maybe the paparazzi should be confined to the Ivy and a few choice nightclubs around Los Angeles. Then when Katie Holmes has a new film to promote, or Mischa Barton wants to remind us all she still exists, they can just cruise through the area and be photographed. Like animals in a zoo.

However, it seems that for the residents of St John’s Wood, new neighbor Kate Moss and her paparazzi entourage have had some benefits.

Residents of St John’s Wood are thanking the supermodel’s star quality for heightened security in their area, located in the borough of Camden, as swarms of paparazzi and bodyguards, combined with a beefed-up police presence, help reassure residents following a spate of horrific crimes.

Insisting that Moss’s fame is helping to ward-off would-be criminals, locals are keen to come to the fashion icon’s defence. “There’s no question that the police presence is both bigger and more visible now that Kate’s a local,” said Alan Lydon, 55.

“People who have lived here for a long time are very conscious that we suddenly have a few uninvited guests. When she first moved it in proved a bit of a nuisance, because you could hardly walk down the streets without bumping into photographers. Now, though, we’re delighted they’re here. There are a lot of dimly lit, narrow streets around here, and it used to be very lonely and quiet by night.

“But now we’ve got clusters of paparazzi everywhere, and quite apart from the noise they make, all the flashing lights keep our streets well lit. Especially on the edges of small estates, that’s very welcome”.

The Independent

Well, I wasn’t aware that St John’s Wood was such a hot bed of crime and scum, but I’m glad the residents are benefiting from it. Think of all the downsides of having Kate live nearby. Instead of having to look at her picture in a magazine to feel fat, you can just look across the street. You’d have her undesirable mates coming around – Kelly Osbourne, anyone?

The best benefit of it all would be checking out what Kate is wearing. Even when she’s hanging upside down out of a window she looks great, and she seems to start trends. Think the vest, think gumboots, think Kate. High waisted pants I could forget about though, thanks for that one Kate. All the rest of us just look like we’re pregnant in them.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Kate Moss is shown at Heathrow airport on 2/7/08, thanks to WENN.