Conservative politicians and former police officers have criticized London Mayor Sadiq Khan over his handling of the city’s knife crime epidemic, arguing that he has overseen a worrying rise in violent crime, particularly among young people.
Official figures show that in the year to March 2023, there were 28 fatal stabbings of under-25s in London – the highest number since 2008. According to the Metropolitan Police, knife crime in the capital has increased by 24 percent since 2016.
The issue of knife crime was thrust into the spotlight following the high-profile murders of two teenagers – 17-year-old Jodie Chesney in Romford, east London, and 16-year-old Yousef Makki in Hale Barns, south Manchester – in March.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said the latest figures were “deeply concerning” and called for “urgent action” to be taken.
“The rise in knife crime is a national tragedy and we are determined to do everything we can to tackle it,” he said. “We are providing police forces with more than £1 billion extra funding to tackle serious violence, including knife crime, and we have introduced a range of new measures, including a ban on the sale of certain types of knives and increased stop and search powers.”
But Khan has defended his record on knife crime, saying that he has invested heavily in youth services and community policing, and that the city’s overall crime rate has fallen under his leadership.
He has also criticized the government’s austerity policies, which he says have led to cuts in police budgets and youth services.
“I have made tackling knife crime a priority since becoming Mayor,” he said. “We have invested more than £100 million in youth services and community policing, and we are working closely with the police to take knives off our streets.”
“But we cannot do this alone. We need the government to work with us to provide the resources and support we need to tackle this problem effectively.
“The government’s austerity policies have had a devastating impact on our city. They have led to cuts in police budgets and youth services, which has made it harder for us to tackle knife crime.”
The debate over knife crime is likely to continue in the run-up to the London mayoral election in 2020. Khan is seeking a second term, but he is facing a challenge from several candidates, including Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey, who has made tackling knife crime a key part of his campaign.
According to a recent poll, 52 percent of Londoners believe that knife crime is a serious problem in the city, and 61 percent believe that the government is not doing enough to tackle it.
The issue of knife crime is a complex one, with no easy solutions. However, it is clear that both the government and the Mayor of London need to take urgent action to address this growing problem.
