Mayor joins Met officers on ‘Winter Nights’ patrol to see how neighbourhood policing is making our local communities safer after dark

• Sadiq joins local safer neighbourhood officers in Greenwich to see first-hand how neighbourhood policing is bearing down on robberies, violence and burglary in the winter months
• Part of ongoing action following the Commissioner’s New Met for London Plan to revitalise local neighbourhood policing across London day and night
• Targeted enforcement happening alongside education and early intervention work through the Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit to support young Londoners away from crime

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, joined local neighbourhood and specialist police officers on a Winter Nights patrol in Greenwich to see first-hand how the Met Police is working to tackle violence and crime and keep our communities safe day and night.

Sadiq joined Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matthew Ward and a Safer Neighbourhood patrol working after dark in the town centre, busy transport hubs and around major tourist attraction the Cutty Sark to see how officers are targeting robbery, violence and burglary hotspots.

Winter nights can lead to an increase in burglaries and people feeling unsafe after dark, with criminals taking advantage of the shorter days as a cover for their activity.

In response, officers are carrying out targeted patrols to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour and violence across London. This includes visible patrols on busy locations such as transport hubs and Christmas markets and working with businesses, shops and venues in the capital’s night-time economy.

In Greenwich, there is evidence to show this approach is beginning to show results, with robbery remaining below pre-pandemic levels and burglary offences down by seven per cent in the last 12 months.¹

The action is part of the Met Commissioner’s New Met for London Plan to revitalise local neighbourhood policing across the capital and rebuild trust with local communities by taking a targeted approach to all forms of crime.

The Mayor is supporting this refreshed approach with record investment in the police – including funding 1,300 officers and recruiting 500 new police community support officers to deal with local priorities in high-harm areas. ²

This targeted enforcement action is working alongside education and early intervention work by the police and City Hall. This includes 500 Safer Schools Officers visiting local schools, universities and youth centres to educate young people on the dangers of knife crime and carrying a weapon.

The Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit³ – the first of its kind in England and Wales – is focused on tackling the complex causes of crime through prevention and early intervention. The VRU has supported more than 150,000 young people over the last two years and since it was formed in 2019, homicides have decreased by a quarter and knife crime of under-25s with injury reduced by 15 per cent.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe and we know that having a visible, local safer neighbourhood team can make a huge difference.

“Our communities are the eyes and ears of the police and the targeted policing activity I have seen today is helping to drive down burglary, robbery and anti-social behaviour in the winter months, as well as rebuilding public confidence and trust in the police.

“But there is still a lot more work to do. We know we cannot arrest our way out of this issue and that’s why this enforcement action is taking place alongside my investment in prevention and intervention work by my Violence Reduction Unit to support young Londoners at critical stages in their lives so that we can build a better, safer London for all.”

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, who leads on serious violence for the Met, said: “Violent crime has a devastating impact on individuals, their families and the wider community.  

“During the winter months, there has historically been an increase in violence particularly in offences committed against women and girls. With shorter days, celebrations and office parties on the lead-up to Christmas and New Year’s, and school closures for the holidays, there are unfortunately opportunities for criminality, including those prepared to use violence.  

“Our officers are working hard to ensure that the streets of London are safe and we are devoting huge resources into preventing these awful crimes from happening in the first place.  

“This includes bespoke operations targeting hotspots where women and girls feel most unsafe, operations targeting knife crime and violent robbery, and conducting surge activity to ensure that Londoners are kept safe. We are also continuing engagement work with our communities and partners.

“Tackling violence in all its forms and ensuring all Londoners feel safe on the streets of London, remains front and centre of our focus. We are working with our partners and the community to target the root causes of these devastating crimes and find long-term solutions.”

London’s Night Czar, Amy Lamè: “The festive season is when our city is at its best and we want to encourage Londoners and people from all over the world to come out and celebrate the festivities with us.

“I’m delighted that Met Police safer neighbourhood teams are continuing to work closely with businesses, shops and venues across the capital over this busy period. These visible police patrols are helping to make London safer and more welcoming after dark, including for women and girls. This supports the work of our Women’s Night Safety Charter, which has more than 2,100 venues and organisations across the capital signed-up, to ensure that London is the safest and most welcoming city in the world.”

Notes to Editors

Positive progress – stats:

[1] Greenwich has seen a reduction of seven per cent in total burglary offences in the last 12 months to October 2023.

Robbery in Greenwich remains below pre-pandemic levels despite increasing in recent months – in line with national trends. Compared with the 12 months pre-coronavirus pandemic (year ending February 2020), this is a reduction of nine per cent.

Source: Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) via Met Dashboard.

[2] Mayor’s record investment in the Met Police/Neighbourhood Policing:

The Mayor is continuing to invest record amounts in the Metropolitan Police and has boosted officer numbers by 1,300. This has helped to drive down violent crime with the number of murders in London last year falling to its lowest since 2014 and teenage murders reducing by more than 50 per cent compared to the previous year.

Sadiq is working closely with and supporting the Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to revitalise neighbourhood policing, which includes recruiting 500 new Police Community Support Officers to deal with local priorities, understand and respond to the needs and the concerns of London’s communities.

Latest Crime Stats

Crimes which have fallen over the Mayoralty (twelve-month period to May 2016 compared to twelve-month period to October 2023): 

• Knife crime with injury under 25 years non-domestic abuse victims (down 19%) 
• Gun crime (down 20%) 
• Homicide (down 6%, 7 fewer offences) 
• Burglary (down 19%) 

[3] London’s Violence Reduction Unit:

• The VRU has supported more than 150,000 young people over the last two years.
• Since the VRU was set up in 2019, there has been a 25 per cent reduction in homicides, 15 per cent fall in knife injury of a person under-25 with injury, and a 26 per cent reduction in robbery. 
• The VRU’s community-led MyEnds programme, which operates in eight neighbourhoods across London, won an MJ award this year in the ‘Better Outcomes’ category for its partnership approach to solutions to tackle violence. This approach has seen more than 54,000 young people and community people supported through nearly 40,000 activities and interventions, including after-school support, mentoring, sport and holistic support.
• The VRU has expanded the model of youth workers in custody suites by increasing funding so that frontline practitioners are embedded in all 12 of the Met’s BCUs and support young people from 10 through the 25. 
• It also funds youth workers in hospitals and they are embedded in Major Trauma Centres and A&Es across the capital, supporting young people at the ‘reachable, teachable moment’.
• An effective inclusive schools programme and PRU mentoring has been established and the VRU is working with young people, schools and local authorities to develop ‘London’s Inclusion Charter’ that prioritises inclusion and works to tackle exclusions.

Further City Hall support: 

• The Mayor is supporting mentoring organisations in London to deliver on his manifesto commitment to provide a mentor for 100,000 young Londoners most in need of support by next year.

  In June 2023, Sadiq announced that he is investing a further £10 million to meet this target – building on the £24m already invested by the Mayor which has provided crucial mentoring support for more than 50,000 young Londoners so far.

Background on Met Police’s youth engagement and diversion work:

• The Met have nearly 500 officers dedicated to youth engagement and diversion who are working in partnership with London’s schools and local authorities to help divert those most vulnerable and at risk from violence, away from a life of crime.