Mayor demands urgent Government action on causes of crime as new report confirms cost-of-living crisis link to a rise in crime and violence

• Sadiq Khan to deliver landmark speech calling for a national strategy to tackle the complex causes of crime, greater investment in our justice system and stronger support for victims

 

• Call to action comes as new London School of Economics (LSE) report shows a clear link between a 10 per cent rise in the cost of living and increases in violence, robberies, shoplifting, burglary and theft over the past year

 

• New figures show the Mayor's Violence Reduction Unit has funded up to 350,000 interventions and opportunities to divert young people away from violence

 

• Sadiq set to announce £15.6million funding for new Violence and Exploitation Support Service to protect, safeguard and empower young people caught up in violent crime including gangs and county lines

 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will today - Thursday 14^th March - deliver a landmark speech and call for an urgent national strategy from the Government to tackle the complex causes of crime, deliver greater investment in our broken criminal justice system, and provide stronger support for victims.

 

It comes as a new London School of Economics (LSE) report¹ reveals a clear link between a 10 per cent rise in the cost of living and increases in violence, robberies, shoplifting, burglary and theft across over the past year – with all offences rising by eight per cent when the cost of living rose.

Against the backdrop of huge government cuts to policing and youth services over the last decade and a nationwide increase in police recorded violent crime, the Mayor has been leading the way in London. His record investment in the Met and early intervention through London’s Violence Reduction Unit – has led to homicides, gun crime and the number of young people being injured with knives all falling in London since 2016 and the violent crime rate is lower in the capital than in the rest of England and Wales.

 

But there is more to do and the Mayor is determined to continue to lead an approach in London that’s both tough on crime and tough on the complex causes of crime. As part of this, the Mayor will today announce a further £15.6million funding for a new Violence and Exploitation Support Service to provide specialist support to young Londoners who are vulnerable, caught up in or being exploited by criminal gangs in the capital – an issue which has been exacerbated by austerity and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

 

The Mayor will today be joined by community leaders from the Violence Reduction Unit's MyEnds programme, who will speak about its community-led approach to tackling the drivers of violence. The programme has supported more than 54,000 young people across London.

 

In the speech, which will be delivered to local community representatives, youth leaders and stakeholders, the Mayor is expected to say:

Government austerity is jeopardising progress made tackling crime and violence in London:

 

• “There’s been no more urgent task for me as Mayor than preventing and reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in our city. Through our investment and initiatives, homicides, gun crime and the number of young people being injured with knives have all fallen since 2016, despite our population rising by more than a million in that time.  And a person is less likely to be a victim of violent crime in London than they are across the country.”

 

• “But crime remains far too high in London. There are too many families grieving, too many young Londoners walking home from school worried about finding trouble on the way and too many women fearful for their safety as the go about their lives.”

 

• “Now is not the moment for despair, but for continued determination to make London a safer city for everyone. With continued national austerity, it won’t be easy, but it can be achieved with the right approach and focus – from all levels of government and society.”

 

• “Tough enforcement will always be a critical part of the solution. But – like police forces right across the country – the Met has been devastated by a chronic lack of investment from national government.  Austerity has meant the Met’s funding has been cut by a third in real terms since 2010. All told, that’s one billion pounds. But while the government has run away from its obligations, I have strived to meet mine - by more than doubling City Hall investment in policing, directly funding 1,300 additional police officers.”

 

There must be a renewed emphasis and national focus on the causes of crime:

 

• “But we must also recognise that we’ll never be able to arrest or incarcerate our way out of the problem of crime and violence. At the very least, we must put equal emphasis on crime prevention.”

 

• “The causes of crime are complex. But the overall formula is pretty simple: Too much inequality and too little opportunity produces criminality. That’s not – and nor should it ever be – a justification for criminal behaviour. If you break the law of course you should pay the consequences. Nor does it imply that all those in poverty turn to criminal behaviour. But if we want to be sincere about making our city safer, we need to be serious about crime prevention. That begins with acknowledging that no one just wakes up in the morning and – out of nowhere – harms another person with a knife or steals a car… joins a criminal gang or breaks into someone’s home. The clock begins ticking long before the crime is committed. And we know that the most effective, easiest and economical moment to stop it is before it starts.”

 

• At City Hall, we’ve found strong links between levels of violence and food insecurity, school exclusions, youth unemployment and deprivation. Recent years have brought extreme hardship… many are struggling through the worst times they’ve ever known. The London School of Economics report today reveals a clear association between the cost-of-living crisis and an increase in violence and acquisitive crimes such as robberies, shoplifting, burglary and theft over the past year. When the cost of living went up by 10 per cent… crime went up by eight per cent.”

 

We need a new national strategy that tackles the complex causes of crime, fixes our broken criminal justice system, and ensures stronger support for our most vulnerable:

 

• “Part of our response has been to establish England’s first Violence Reduction Unit, which has now funded up to 350,000 positive opportunities for young people. We’ve invested in youth workers and mentors for young people. Provided more support for families and local communities. Used the power of sport to transform lives. And worked to keep children in school – where they’re safe and can thrive. The principle underpinning all this work is that crime is preventable, not inevitable."

 

• What we’re doing works – and we’ll keep at it. This includes a new £15m Violence and Exploitation Support Service to protect children and young people caught up in violent crime. But I have to be honest – the task of tackling crime and its causes is too big to undertake alone.”

 

• “We need a national government that shares our determination to solve the problem, not exacerbate it. And a commitment to fixing our criminal justice system, which has been vandalised by years of chronic underfunding and left failing victims waiting or denied justice for far too long.”

 

• “Despite all the evidence showing that the earlier we intervene, the more effective we can be. And despite knowing that for many children, disadvantage follows them through life, we’ve seen: Sure Start centres closed. Education Maintenance Allowance abolished. Child tax credits, child benefit and housing benefit cut. Youth clubs – more than 130 in our city alone shuttered. And rising poverty ignored.”

 

• “All of it fuelled by years of austerity and neglect. It’s why we need a national strategy that invests in our justice system, supports victims and prevents crime. This is what we’re doing in London, but we desperately need the government to take the same approach – for the benefit of both our capital and country.”

 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The evidence before us is stark and irrefutable. The causes of crime involve poverty, inequality and a lack of opportunities for young people, which have all been made far worse by years of austerity and failure by the government. The national cost-of-living crisis is now compounding the problem, driving a rise in crime and violence across the country.

 

“Crime is not inevitable, it is preventable. I cannot stress this enough. We are leading the way in London by being both tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime, but we can’t do it all alone.  We need a government that takes tackling the causes of crime seriously, with the right investment and approach. 

 

“I urge the Government to follow our lead in London and present a new strategy that prioritises tackling the complex causes of crime, poverty, deprivation and the lack of opportunities for young people so that we can build a safer London and country for everyone.”

Ira Campbell, of the MyEnds programme in Lambeth, said: "Every day we see the impact of the cost-of-living crisis in our communities. We've seen families struggling to pay to heat their homes and others having to make tough decisions because of the rising cost of food.

"The VRU's MyEnds programme has given communities like ours the funding and backing to support young people and families in our neighbourhoods. It's having an impact, we've seen it, but this community-led approach needs consistent funding all over London to continue making a difference and helping people affected by poverty, deprivation and tackling violence."   

Dr Magdalena Dominguez, Research Economist: “Our study revealed a positive link between the cost-of-living crisis and recorded crime, including both money-driven and violent offences. It also evidenced a negative link with anti-social behaviours. Both of these are particularly pronounced in areas most severely affected by the crisis.” 

 

Lib Peck, Director of London's Violence Reduction Unit, said: "The causes of violence are deeply complex and driven by poverty, deprivation and lack of opportunity. The cost-of-living crisis, on top of cuts to vital services working to support London's communities, has served to impact those factors further. 

 

"It's why investment in prevention and early intervention is vital and a key part of the solution to tackling violence. With the Mayor's support, we've invested in up to 350,000 interventions and opportunities for young people - that means help for families, keeping young people safe in and out of school, and funding communities through our MyEnds programme.

 

"Young people and communities are at the heart of our approach and it needs to be matched and made a national priority if we're serious about driving down violence." 

 

 

Claire Waxman OBE, London’s Independent Victims' Commissioner, said: “To tackle crime, we need victims to be confident enough to report and supported enough to stay in the justice process. Yet too many young people who experience domestic abuse, exploitation and harm are not safeguarded or supported effectively. That’s why I welcome the investment from the Mayor today in young Londoners caught up in violent crime.

 

“But Government must do more. The victims that come to me encounter an overstretched and underexperienced police service, failures by agencies to uphold their rights and unacceptable delays at court. It is time for a wholesale national review of our criminal justice system that puts victims at the centre.”