The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has launched the city’s first ever knife crime strategy this week following a major rise in stabbings across the capital, with Lambeth seeing a huge rise.
Last year, 279 stabbings took place in Lambeth, a disturbing increase of 62% on the previous year.
The strategy promises an additional £625,000 for knife and gang crime projects, taking the total spending to £7 million, backed by plans to empower communities with funds to do more to protect young people, and increase prevention and police work.
Since the start of the year, 25 Londoners under 25 have died as a result of stabbings across London, with knife crime in general rising, with 2,332 more offences this year than last year.
Data from the Metropolitan Police showed that the number of stabbings in the capital reached 4,415 last year, an increase of 21%, with young people under 25 disproportionately affected by increasing knife crime, with almost half of those injured under 25.
The number of children carrying knives at schools in London has doubled in the last five years, with the Met and interest groups such as the Ben Kinsella Trust saying increasing numbers are carrying knives to protect themselves.
Local London Assembly Member and representative for the Lambeth and Southwark constituency, Florence Eshalomi AM, called on the government to match any activity from the Mayor with better funding.
Since 2010 the Met has faced cuts of £600m, and is expected to find another £400m in savings by 2020. The government has also cut almost £400m for youth service spending across the country over the past seven years.
She added:
Sadiq Khan has made it clear he won’t continue his predecessor’s legacy of complacency.
I have been appalled by the increase in knife crime in recent years. We’ve seen families and communities in Lambeth and beyond suffer unimaginable turmoil. We have long needed real action to rid our city of these destructive crimes.
“My colleagues were warning Boris Johnson and the police of rises in violent crime back in 2014, but we were told that this was about bad statistics or increases in reporting. Sadiq Khan has made it clear he won’t continue his predecessor’s legacy of complacency.
It’s going to take every section of the community, including families, schools, and the police, coming together to tackle knife crime. This strategy seeks to equip communities to do just that, but it is vital that any action from the Mayor is matched with increased funding from government. This is especially important when it comes to youth services.
Knife facts:
- 279 stabbings in Lambeth last year, a 62% increase on previous year
- 4,415 stabbings across London last year, a 21% increase on previous year
- 12,074 knife crime offences, an increase of 24% on previous year
Data from the Metropolitan Police on knife crime with injury in 2016/17 can be found under ‘Other Crime types’ here.