In response to the Mayor’s announcement that he has provided a further 34 anti-knife crime projects with a share of £1.15 million of funding, Labour’s London Assembly Spokesperson on Policing and Crime, Unmesh Desai AM said:
“Today’s announcement dispels recent insinuations made in the press that the Mayor’s action on knife crime is limited to an ad campaign. By funding another 34 grassroots community initiatives across London as part of his Knife Crime Strategy, Sadiq Khan is taking concrete steps to prevent further tragedies from taking place on our streets.
“Early intervention projects play an essential part in stemming the culture of violence in our capital. They empower young people and enhance community cohesion. The reality is that the Mayor has had to plug the gap left by deep and sustained cuts to youth services made by the Government over the last 8 years.
“Under the current mayoralty, we have the first ever dedicated Knife Crime Strategy, alongside the investment of an extra £110 million in the Met to sustain police numbers. Meanwhile, today’s funding will go towards stopping the most vulnerable kids in our city becoming caught up in crime.
“The criticisms that have come out against the Met and the Mayor in recent days are evidently unfounded, when the Government have continually refused to properly fund our police, even in a time of crisis.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced today that 34 local projects will receive a share of £1.15 million of funding as part of his wider Knife Crime Strategy. A full list of the initiatives to receive the support of the Mayor can be found here
- Nine additional projects were previously provided with a pot of funding in March
- Unmesh Desai AM is the Labour London Assembly Spokesperson for Policing and Crime.