Dear Editor,
Earlier this week, we saw the Home Secretary announce that the Government will be consulting on a public health approach to tackling violent crime.
Whilst this is welcome, it is something that our community and my colleagues at City Hall have long been calling for. It has been incredibly disappointing to see the Government continue to fall behind the curve when it comes to protecting Londoners and ensuring that our police are adequately resourced.
On the other hand, the Mayor of London has been proactive when it comes to clamping down on violent crime. He has set up a Violence Reduction Unit, put in place a dedicated anti-knife crime strategy and has invested in youth and early intervention projects in Croydon through his Young Londoners Fund.
It should also be noted that the Croydon Council has carried out some exemplary work setting up a strong partnership with the police and community groups to address serious youth violence.
However, going forward, we need to see the Government act on its pledge to introduce a public health approach with the right degree of urgency. It took until April last year for the then Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, to finally publish a Serious Violence Strategy, which ended up pledging very little in the way of the level of funding needed.
We simply cannot afford any further delays.
Yours,
Fiona Twycross AM
Londonwide Assembly Member