Assembly Member gains assurances from Mayor to tackle knife crime
Following a surge in knife crime in London, with two fatal attacks occurring in Wandsworth, local Assembly member Leonie Cooper wrote to Sadiq Khan with her concerns.
In Wandsworth there has been a 19% rise in knife crime in 2016/17 compared to 2015/16. Ms Cooper urged the Mayor to address this in the upcoming knife-crime strategy, and stated, “This is going to take every section of the community – not least families, schools, and the police – coming together to get to the root of the problem and stop the killing.”
Mayor Khan has responded to Ms Cooper’s intervention to assure her Wandsworth and Merton constituents that he takes the issue of knife crime in London extremely seriously, saying “it is my top priority and I am committed to making London an even better and safer place for all.” Mayor Khan has also suggested that Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, would be happy to meet with Ms Cooper and local representatives to further allay their concerns by discussing the knife crime strategy in person.
Local Labour Assembly Member, Leonie Cooper AM, said:
“It is imperative that this trend of heartless violence and killing on our streets is brought to an end.
“I am pleased to have the Mayor’s full support in tackling knife crime and am pleased to see he is implementing a multi-agency and collaborative response with his knife crime strategy.
The way the community has come together has been incredible and I urge anyone with information to come forward to assist the investigation.”
If anyone has any information or concerns they should contact the police, or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where they can give information anonymously.
Notes to editors
- Crimestoppers can be contacted for free and anonymously on 0800 555 1111
- Leonie Cooper is the London Assembly Member for Merton and Wandsworth