Revealed: New report shows violence cost London £3 billion last year

• Homicide studies help provide a first detailed map of violence in the capital
• Government cuts to youth services likely to leave some neighbourhoods more at risk of crime than others
• Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit to target investment specifically at high-crime hotspots

A new report looking into the complex causes and impact of violence in London has revealed that violent incidents cost the capital £3 billion last year.

The report was part of the first ever capital-wide assessment of violence and an in-depth look at the reviews that take place after each specific homicide, commissioned by London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) to inform their work. The two new separate studies combined provide a map of violence that will help to determine where to deliver early, targeted interventions to reduce the spread of violence across the city.

New figures in the report show that alongside the tragic loss of life and misery experienced by families and communities, the economic impact to the capital is also substantial. Costs in 2018/19 for responding to homicides, violence offences, sexual offences and robbery, together with the loss of economic output was £3bn*.

Specific case reviews are carried out by an independent Chair, supported by the police, local authorities, health providers and probation services, to help better understand the broad circumstances of an incident. This piece of work, the first of its kind in London, focused on all of the reviews published since January 2016, bringing together domestic homicide reviews, serious case reviews (when a child or vulnerable adult dies or is seriously injured when abuse or neglect are thought to have been involved), safeguarding adults reviews and mental health homicide reviews.

The reviews found that:

• Violence has become more serious, more frequent and driven by use of knives. Additional VRU data shows that there has been a 47 per cent increase in knife-related homicides since 2016, while between 2013/14 and 2017/18, hospital admissions for assaults with a sharp object increased by 32 per cent.
• A highly localised approach – even down to specific roads and estates - is essential to understanding and responding to violence.
• The deprivation of certain London neighbourhoods and vulnerability to gang-related criminality is deep-seated. The report cites London School of Economics research which shows that more than half of all the poorest neighbourhoods were also the poorest 100 years ago, and targets for criminal gangs operating in areas with high levels of deprivation.
• Community and social cohesion are important tools in keeping neighbourhoods safe.
• The report recommends supporting schools to do more to protect young people from exposure to gangs, and reducing exclusions.
• Domestic abuse features in a high proportion of reviews, and is recognised as a form of trauma, particularly for a young person.
• The impact of Government cuts are likely to have increased the vulnerability of some neighbourhoods to violence. Between 2011/12 and 2018/19, 46 per cent of funding for London’s youth services was withdrawn. A reduction in police officer numbers has impacted on the police’s ability to disrupt and deter violence.
• The drugs market has become more lucrative which has increased competition between criminal gangs. The darknet and its expansion has increased competition in drugs market.

The VRU, which was set up by the Mayor of London in September 2018, has already been focusing much of its funding on programmes to tackle these issues. So far, the majority of the VRU’s £14.8m has been invested in programmes to tackle school exclusions, community programmes offering positive opportunities for young people. The number of youth workers in hospital A&Es and major trauma centres has also increased.

In response to the findings of the studies, the VRU will be directing £12m of new funding in 2020/2021, secured from investment from the Mayor and the Home Office, in targeted programmes and initiatives. This includes a proposal to direct funding to a new violence reduction programme that delivers interventions in specific local neighbourhoods and estates that are areas identified as most prone to violence.

The purpose of the homicide studies was to examine what we can learn from the reviews that do exist, but local Serious Case Reviews are only carried out following the death of a young person under-18 due to abuse or neglect – violence is currently not a requirement. As a result, only four serious case reviews of serious youth violence were published since 2016, at a time when there have been 120 homicides in the capital. The VRU believes there should be a review covering all homicides and will be writing to the Home Office and the NHS to widen the scope of statutory reviews to help build a better picture of serious youth violence in London and provide greater transparency for victims.

It comes ahead of a speech the Mayor will be making at a ‘Dealing With Violence’ conference on Friday, where he will outline the action he is taking to get tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime. The Mayor will say London cannot deal with rising violent crime simply by trying to ‘arrest its way out of this problem’, but rather needs to focus on systematically addressing the underlying issues behind it. The causes of violent crime are deeply complex, he will argue, but have been made far worse by Government cuts to the police, youth centres, mental health services, after-school clubs and councils.

Lib Peck, Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, said: “We know the causes of crime are deeply complex and the reports published today make it clear that it has been made far worse by a decade of cuts to the police, youth services, councils and after-school clubs.

“These reports, the first of their kind in London, are a stark reminder of the impact violence has on families and communities, but also on the wider city economy and on how emergency and public services respond to horrific incidents.

“We’re already investing in a programme to drive down school exclusions, provide greater after-school care for young people and support communities who often know what works best in their areas, but don’t have the tools or resources to do as much as we would like. The reports will help further our understanding and knowledge and reinforces our approach to focusing our efforts on providing interventions in specific local areas to drive down violence.”

Carolyn Downs, London Councils Chief Executive Lead and Brent Council Chief Executive, said: “It is important that the recommendations in this report are taken forward. Many local authorities progress reviews using a contextual safeguarding approach to violence reduction but this needs to be consistent across the board. A more systematic approach for doing reviews which involve violence, as well as neglect and abuse, would also be helpful as long as it is adequately funded.”

Commenting, Ewan King, Chief Operating Officer at the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), said: "This research demonstrates that statutory reviews following homicides or serious injury are really valuable. It also highlights important new insights gained when learning across sectors are put together.

“This work is unique: It’s brought together statutory reviews including local child safeguarding practice reviews, safeguarding adult reviews, domestic homicide reviews and mental health homicide reviews. And there’s a great potential for these reviews to lead to improvements. It's vital that we work together to shine a light on what is happening and improve learning across agencies to tackle violence effectively.”

Handan Wieshmann, Senior Advisor at the Behavioural Insights Team, said: “This is the first time a London-wide assessment of violence based on empirical evidence has been completed. Using research and large-scale data analysis by leading academics, our report seeks to complement the voices of London's communities and help the VRU understand violence in the capital.

“By drawing on evidence to complement the strength and expertise of London’s public services, and driving a culture of research, innovation and evaluation across its partners, the VRU can capture opportunity presented by additional funding, paving the way for significant reductions in violence now and for future generations of Londoners."