Sadiq Khan sets out 10-point plan for tackling the “madness” of violent crime

The “madness” of violent crime on London’s streets is getting worse, according to Sadiq Khan, as he today laid out a ten-point plan for tackling the problem.

Labour’s London Mayor candidate promised to “get tough on violent crime”, and said that it was “a slap in the face to Londoners” that fewer violent criminals are being caught as violent crime rises. Khan warned that violent crime, especially knife crime, is “spiralling out of control” as latest figures show that it has risen by 15 per cent in the capital over the last year.

His ten point action plan for making London’s streets safer includes a more comprehensive “mapping” of the city’s gangs, ensuring hospitals share knife wound data, tougher enforcement of current laws around selling knives, and developing a more effective preventative strategy to deal with the causes of knife crime.

“We simply must put a stop to the madness of violent crime on London’s streets,” Khan said.

“That has to start with facing facts – this is a problem that is getting worse rather than better.

“Londoners are facing a double-whammy – not only is violent crime rising, but at the same time fewer violent criminals are being caught. That’s a slap in the face to Londoners.

“As Mayor I will get tough on violent crime – with a particular focus on knife crime.”

With two weeks left until Londoners go to the polls, Zac Goldsmith’s campaign has stepped up its efforts to link Khan with extremism – but Labour hopes that Khan’s focus on issues will pay off.

Read Sadiq Khan’s ten point plan for tackling violent crime

1.   Ensure better “mapping” of London’s gangs.  Making borough police commanders maintain a comprehensive map of gangs, community leaders, potential mentors, informants and young people at risk of joining gangs – ensuring knowledge is passed on when individual officers move on.

2.   Ensure stricter enforcement of current laws which mean that shops selling knives to children can face up to six months and/or a fine of £5,000 – and backing calls for the introduction of a licensing scheme for knives in England – as is already in place in Scotland.

3.   Demand new powers for the Mayor to introduce tougher community payback schemes for those caught with knives – on top of jail time and traditional sentencing.

4.   Make prevention programmes more effective – working closely with local authorities, schools and youth services to develop anti-gang strategies, while working with community organisations to further youth engagement, building upon a review of the anti-gang Matrix system.  This will include reinvigorating safer school partnerships which have been allowed to wither under the Tories.

5.   Make hospitals record and share knife wound data – as they already do for gunshot wounds – ensuring we know the true scale of the problem.

6.   Initiate a more intelligence-led use of stop and search powers. Ensuring all stop and searches are based on actual intelligence rather than profiling – in order to increase the percentage that lead to the discovery of a knife and an arrest, without increasing the overall usage of the power, which can damage community relations with the police.

7.   Ensure that the restoration of real neighbourhood policing is the top priority for the Met, maintaining the role of officers as a visible local presence, helping to prevent and detect crime.

8.   Improve the experiences of victims of crime by introducing an online Track My Crime portal to give victims information on progress on their case, and appoint an independent Victims Commissioner to stand up for victims across the capital.

9.   Roll out the use of body cameras worn by the police, encouraging community confidence in policing and the capturing of crucial evidence.

10. Ensure the Met has the armed response officers and vehicles it needs.