Mayoral candidates attack each other over crime as Khan hits out at government funding commitment
Sadiq Khan has accused the government of failing to match police resources from a decade ago, as the mayor comes under further attack over a surge in London’s knife crime.
Khan, who is currently fending off criticism for failing to keep crime under control, argued the police funding settlement announced today would not go far enough to solve the problem.
Under government plans, the mayor and police commissioners can increase council tax take by up to £10 for the next financial year, representing a total rise of £15.7m towards policing and crime.
But Khan said: “The announcement today does not even make up for the number of police officers lost since 2010, even though our population has grown.
“Both the Met Commissioner and I will push the government to give us the 6,000 extra police officers our city needs, and a proper long-term funding commitment in order to recruit and support them.
“More police officers to deter and catch criminals is just one half of the equation – we also need to be tough on tackling the root causes of crime. Sadly there is little sign that the government will reverse their huge cuts to youth services, schools, councils and community facilities that caused crime to rise in the first place.”
His intervention comes as independent mayoral candidate Rory Stewart today published polling that suggests nearly three-quarters of Londoners believe crime is “out of control”. The Populus poll also found that 76 per cent of people living in the capital are more worried about crime than when Khan became mayor four years ago.
Stewart has pledged to treble the number of community police on the streets, resulting in an extra 2,350 officers being deployed full-time on neighbourhood policing.
The former minister pledged to “grip this crisis immediately”.
He said: “Safety, and the escalating levels of violent crime, are the number one concerns of Londoners. People don’t feel safe, and the situation is getting worse… This is the first part of my plan to address the unacceptable levels of crime in London that have been allowed to spiral out of control. The mayoral election this year can be a turning point.”
However Stewart has in turn been attacked by Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey as “simply repackaging the police increases already announced by the Prime Minister”.
Bailey added: “I have pledged to fund an additional 2,300 police officers, on top of the increase from government. This would deliver a record number of police on London’s streets and is the first step towards getting crime under control in London.”