KNIFE crime has surged by 58 per cent in London in three years, a report has revealed.
Just 20 streets around Oxford Circus and Regent Street accounted for one in every 15 knife attacks across the capital, Policy Exchange said.
It also claimed that offenders were being let off the hook, with more than 4,500 prolific offenders walking free from court last year.
The report’s author, ex-Met Police Det Chief Insp David Spencer, said: “London is in the grip of a knife crime, robbery and theft epidemic.”
“A cosy consensus between police chiefs and political leaders has led to a collapse in proactive policing.
“In particular, stop and search rates.
“This allows the streets to be surrendered to thugs, robbers and thieves.”
The report made 17 recommendations, including redeploying 850 desk-based officers to the front line and flooding crime hotspots with stop and search patrols.
It also called for automatic jail time for prolific offenders and tougher sentences for repeat knife carriers.
Backing a tougher line, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “The analysis lays bare the scale of the challenge for police chiefs and policy makers alike.
“But this report is not a counsel of despair – it is a call to action.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Nothing is more important to the Mayor than keeping Londoners safe and he is determined to continue leading from the front to build a safer London for all.
“Thanks to the hard work of the Met Police and partners, homicides, gun crime with lethal barrel discharges, knife crime with injury and burglary are all down since 2016 and last year teen murders were the lowest they’ve been in over a decade.
“The latest ONS stats also show that overall, the violent crime with injury rate is lower in London than in the rest of England and Wales. Record funding from the Mayor and an enhanced approach to neighbourhood policing in the West End has led to personal robberies falling by 20 per cent and violence with injury reducing by 25 per cent in the last year.”
AlamyKnife crime has surged by 58 per cent in London in three years[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
