Make the streets of London safe

Make the streets of London safe

The Issue

I have started this petition as a result of the ever increasing violence on our streets, and the complete lack of any coordinated response to it from either the Mayor, or central Government. Just this week there have been 4 shootings in London and over 60 people have lost their lives this year due to the increase in knife crime. The numbers are even more staggering when you look at those who were 'lucky' enough not to die from their injuries. These levels of crime are not sustainable and it is leaving an indelible stain on our city.

Our capital city should be a beacon to the rest of the world, yet it feels more and more like a lawless, uncontrollable, frightening and disorderly place. Rather than feeling like the greatest city in the world, it is a place from which people with families want to escape. The daily stabbings, gun violence and moped crime, to name but a few, are no longer remarkable incidents, but rather they have become the norm. The anxiety felt by Londoners is no longer seldom, nor fleeting. Its  become a part of who we are, and what we expect. The local newspapers are full of reports of these incidents. The scariest part is when you hear the words: 'No arrests have been made.'

Aren't there are already enough issues for us Londoners to face?  Terrorist threats, the lack of affordable housing, the insurmountable costs of living and commuting here. I am frightened for my family, and for my community. This is not a London I can feel proud of, or secure in.

Violent crime is no longer just a scourge for gang members, or drug dealers, or other 'unsavouries'. You can no longer have confidence that as long as you stay out of trouble, you will be safe. These knife attacks, these shootings, these murders, are encroaching across all London, and affecting ALL Londoners. It comes to something when you cannot even feel safe taking your children on a tube train.

Something has to be done.

Words are not enough. Platitudes will not work. Reassurances are worthless without a plan. We need an effective strategy, and we need it now. We need action, and we need resources. These killings simply cannot continue, or all that is excellent about our great city, and the people that live here, will be lost in a river of tears, cried from those of us who have lost people.

Please sign this petition - we need a catalyst to get those in local and central government to make this a priority. Thank you for reading.

 

avatar of the starter
Lucy GibbonsPetition Starter
Media enquiries
This petition had 665 supporters

The Issue

I have started this petition as a result of the ever increasing violence on our streets, and the complete lack of any coordinated response to it from either the Mayor, or central Government. Just this week there have been 4 shootings in London and over 60 people have lost their lives this year due to the increase in knife crime. The numbers are even more staggering when you look at those who were 'lucky' enough not to die from their injuries. These levels of crime are not sustainable and it is leaving an indelible stain on our city.

Our capital city should be a beacon to the rest of the world, yet it feels more and more like a lawless, uncontrollable, frightening and disorderly place. Rather than feeling like the greatest city in the world, it is a place from which people with families want to escape. The daily stabbings, gun violence and moped crime, to name but a few, are no longer remarkable incidents, but rather they have become the norm. The anxiety felt by Londoners is no longer seldom, nor fleeting. Its  become a part of who we are, and what we expect. The local newspapers are full of reports of these incidents. The scariest part is when you hear the words: 'No arrests have been made.'

Aren't there are already enough issues for us Londoners to face?  Terrorist threats, the lack of affordable housing, the insurmountable costs of living and commuting here. I am frightened for my family, and for my community. This is not a London I can feel proud of, or secure in.

Violent crime is no longer just a scourge for gang members, or drug dealers, or other 'unsavouries'. You can no longer have confidence that as long as you stay out of trouble, you will be safe. These knife attacks, these shootings, these murders, are encroaching across all London, and affecting ALL Londoners. It comes to something when you cannot even feel safe taking your children on a tube train.

Something has to be done.

Words are not enough. Platitudes will not work. Reassurances are worthless without a plan. We need an effective strategy, and we need it now. We need action, and we need resources. These killings simply cannot continue, or all that is excellent about our great city, and the people that live here, will be lost in a river of tears, cried from those of us who have lost people.

Please sign this petition - we need a catalyst to get those in local and central government to make this a priority. Thank you for reading.

 

avatar of the starter
Lucy GibbonsPetition Starter
Media enquiries

The Decision Makers

Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London
Responded
“Dear Petitioner Thank you for your petition submitted on the change.org website about violent crime in London. Keeping Londoners safe is the Mayor’s top priority and he is taking action to tackle the scourge of violent crime in London. Together with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), he is determined to ensure criminals are caught and punished – but he is also investing millions in tackling the complex root causes of violent crime to help prevent needless deaths. The majority of funding for the police has always come from central Government. Unfortunately, since 2010 there has been continued and systematic disinvestment in police, as well as and other public services, including youth and preventive services. The Home Office’s own research has clearly stated the nationwide rise in violent crime, is in part driven by falls in police funding. This is clearly a national problem that requires national solutions. The Mayor agrees that in these challenging times, the police need more funding to do their vital work of protecting our city and tackling crime which is why he continues to lobby the Home Secretary and Prime Minister to change their approach to police funding and hopes that they do so sooner rather than later. The Mayor is only able to raise funds via council tax and business rates. He took the difficult decision this year to increase both to ensure that the MPS has as much money as possible to keep up the fight against crime. In total, he has provided more than £138 million to the MPS over the past two years. This investment has also helped protect 1,000 police officer posts that would otherwise have been lost. As a consequence, the Greater London Authority (GLA) now provides nearly a quarter of all MPS funding compared to less than 20 per cent in 2010. The Mayor has also allocated £15 million for the MPS to directly target knife crime and serious violence. Part of that funding been used to the create a Violent Crime Taskforce of 150 officers, who will target the most serious offenders. This is a central resource to supplement increased effort across the MPS. In October this year alone, the Violent Crime Taskforce has undertaken 771 weapon sweeps, seized 113 firearms, recovered 76 knives and 54 offensive weapons. Violent Crime Taskforce officers have made 400 arrests, including 86 for weapons and knife offences. The Mayor has directed an initial £500,000 towards establishing the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) following extensive research to understand how Glasgow managed to significantly reduce violent crime by using a long-term public health approach. The VRU in London will look at treating the root causes, which are varied and complex, alongside enforcement. At its heart, the aim is to better understand the risk factors in a person’s early life that can lead to serious violence by using data from health, criminal justice and other public services. It will also focus on improved and speeded up interventions at a local level, with the aim of reducing violence and protecting those vulnerable to exploitation. To combat knife crime specifically, the Mayor launched the London Knife Crime Strategy in June 2017. It includes the following key areas: • Targeting lawbreakers – recognising that knife crime has increased and that this is a major concern for the Mayor, the public and the police. Commitments in this section are focused on the immediate enforcement response to knife crime; • Keeping deadly weapons off our streets - addressing the accessibility and availability of knives focusing on retailers and licensing; • Protecting and educating young people – recognising the importance of prevention and working alongside schools; • Standing with communities, neighbourhoods and families against knife crime – working with Londoners who want to stand up against knife crime and the harm it does to communities and families; • Supporting victims of knife crime – ensuring that improving support to victims is at the heart of a holistic response; • Offering a way out of crime – recognising that young people should be offered interventions which help them move away from criminality towards a brighter future. In support of the strategy: • The Mayor has allocated £1.4 million to support communities in London disproportionately affected by knife crime. The funding supports grass-roots community groups involved in protecting young people and ridding our communities of violence. • Every single London borough now has a bespoke knife crime action plan created in partnership with the MPS. • Every school and college in London can now receive a knife wand and 200 schools are using them. • The Mayor held a Knife Crime Education Summit in October 2017 and as a result, Ofsted is conducting research with schools and People Referral Units as to how schools are safeguarding their students and how schools build resilience in young people, so they are less likely to get involved in knife crime. They will also be looking at the impact of exclusions. This will inform a report which will be published at the end of this year. • The Mayor will use these recommendations to lobby the Department for Education to take further action to ensure schools are safeguarding their students effectively against knife crime and expulsions. • The Mayor has increased the number of Safer Schools Officers across the capital to 321, plus a further 29 Youth Engagement Officers. • In 2017, the Mayor launched the ‘London Needs You Alive’ campaign. It is raising awareness about the dangers and consequences of knife crime and providing advice to Londoners who have concerns about friends or family members getting sucked into a life of knife crime. In June this year, the ‘London Needs You Alive’ toolkit was launched. You can find out more about it at: www.london.gov.uk/lnya-toolkit. • In June, the Mayor convened a knife crime summit, involving leaders of every London borough to discuss and share best practice on knife crime action plans. Later that month the Mayor welcomed more than 150 people, community groups and other organisations to City Hall to hear first-hand how best to tackle the root causes of serious youth violence. • Youth workers are now being deployed in Major Trauma Centres and A&E departments to provide specialist youth services for victims of serious youth violence and sexual exploitation. This intervention which is conducted in the hospital immediately after an incident, has shown to be a unique ‘teachable moment’. These services, directed towards young people at this time, will ensure that the other issues faced by young people involved in knife crime, such as mental health support needs or sexual exploitation, are addressed holistically. • Action is also being taken on retailers irresponsibly selling knives. • The Sentencing Council has published guidelines for the sentencing of offenders convicted of the possession of a bladed article or offensive weapon. These offences have mandatory minimum sentences which courts must apply unless there are mitigating factors. This came into effect on 1 June 2018. Whilst it is early days, we have seen the initial signs of violence in the capital levelling out, with three consecutive months of reduction in knife crime with injury. The Mayor is not complacent and the focus on tackling knife crime and serious violence remains an absolute priority. Furthermore, the measures the Mayor is taking in London – vital though they are – can in no way be seen as substitute for the leadership and resources we need to see from the Government. I hope the information contained in this response will provide you with reassurance that tackling violence remains a pressing issue for the Mayor. Yours sincerely, Public Liaison Unit Greater London Authority”
Theresa May MP
Theresa May MP
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party

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Petition created on 22 August 2018