Urgent inquiry to look at spike in violent crime
INVESTIGATION PROMPTED BY WORRYING RISE IN LONDON’S MURDER RATE
LONDON Assembly has announced an urgent investigation into the dramatic rise in violent crime in the capital.
The unusual intervention comes after the murder of 62 people in the capital in 2018, with Police and Crime Committee chairman Steve O’Connell saying “Londoners are right to question whether gestures and poster adverts are missing their intended target”.
The murder rate from January to March in 2018 was double the rate over the same period in 2017. Of the 62 murders so far this year, 39 were victims of knife crime, while 10 people have been shot dead.
The committee’s investigation will focus on what has caused the upsurge and “why policing tactics are failing and what can be done to keep Londoners safe”.
The investigation will also examine Sadiq Khan’s Knife Crime Strategy, as well as the effectiveness of the social media and advertising campaigns run by the Mayor’s Office.
The mayor hit back on Monday last week, a day after two boys were shot in Wealdstone High Street.
Having come under pressure for the increase in violent crimes in London over the past two years, Mr Khan said it was in fact “the failure of government ministers”, who have forced the Met to make savings of £600 million since 2010 and are demanding a further £375m by 2021.
He went on to share a list of things he has done to tackle crime in London since being elected two years ago.
Measures included a 120-officer violent crime taskforce created with additional City Hall funding in February – a £110m City Hall investment has been made to secure front line police numbers, a £45m Young Londoners Fund was created to steer youth away from violent crime and knife wands have been made available to every school in London which chooses to have them.
The committee is also looking into the Mayor’s London Needs You Alive Campaign, targeting young people with paid for advertisements on social media and elsewhere.
Police and Crime Committee chairman Mr O’Connell said: “The mayor and the Met need to take hold of the situation.
“We are determined to find out what is working and what is not so more families don’t face the heartache of losing a loved one to violent crime and those with perpetrators in their families don’t lose their loved ones to a debilitating life of criminality and violence.
“Londoners are right to question whether gestures and poster adverts are missing their intended target. Violent criminals don’t watch adverts from the mayor about knife crime.
“Many young people now live in a culture of fear and feel at risk. They want more than an ad campaign, they want to know that concrete steps are being taken to protect them.”