Dear Editor,
The causes of violent crime are multi-faceted and complex, and we know that these have been compounded by the Government’s £1 billion cut to the Met Police’s budget by 2023. But it has no place in London, and we must do everything in our capacity to stop it in its tracks.
This must include being tough on the root causes of crime. This week, City Hall shone a spotlight upon the specific and significant link between poverty and violent crime. It is something that is widely acknowledged, but not talked about nearly enough on the public stage.
From City Hall, the Mayor is addressing this issue through the roll-out of a £45 million Young Londoners Fund, as part of his wider public health approach model.
There’s no escaping the need for the Government to confront the empirical reality that violent crime is one of the side-effects of their programme of austerity.
Of course, there is no excuse for criminality. We now need everyone – communities, the police and politicians – to play their part in tackling these vile acts.
Yours,
Onkar Sahota AM
London Assembly Member for Ealing and Hillingdon