Mayor to ‘treat violence like a disease’ after 100th murder

VIOLENCE is to be treated as a disease in an effort to stem the rising number of murders, the Mayor of London has announced.

Based on Glasgow’s successful violence reduction unit – which is credited with having helped halve the city’s murder rate – Sadiq Khan has made £500,000 available for the scheme.

It will operate across London and see violence tackled using public health initiatives as well as traditional crime fighting tactics.

This year, the capital’s murder rate has already passed 100, with 40 of those victims aged under 25, leaving the mayor under increasing pressure to address the reasons behind the current crime epidemic.

Researchers in Scotland identified a range of similar social factors that many of those involved in violence shared, such as school exclusion and exposure to domestic abuse.

By identifying youngsters from similar backgrounds they were able to target them early on and steer them away from trouble.

Glasgow was once dubbed the murder capital of Europe. Between 2006 and 2011, 15 young people were killed in knife attacks. Between April 2011 and April 2016, none were.

But Mr Khan admitted it was a longterm strategy that would not yield results overnight.

He said: “The causes of violent crime are extremely complex, involving deep seated societal problems like poverty, social alienation, mental ill heath and a lack of opportunity.

“This unit is not a substitute for the investment our public services need if London is to significantly cut levels of violent crime.”

Another murder investigation was launched in London yesterday after a 25-year-old man was stabbed to death in the Tufnell Park area. One witness claimed the stabbing followed a mobile phone robbery.