London murders: Violent crime wave ‘is not new normal’

A London Assembly member has urged capital residents not to accept the “horrifying” number of murders this year as a “new normal”.

Police and Crime Committee chairman Steve O’Connell said “Londoners deserve better” after the 75th murder in 2018.

Mr O’Connell called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to “ensure the Met has what it needs” to tackle the crime wave.

The mayor’s office said rising crime was a “national issue that requires national solutions”.

The committee has launched an investigation into the surge in violent crime in London this year.

The latest murder investigation was launched after a 23-year-old man stabbed in Bermondsey on 11 June died on Monday night.

‘Horrifying situation’

Mr O’Connell has called on Mr Khan “to ensure the Met has what it needs in these areas and across the capital to bring perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice”.

“We need to understand the reasons why our communities have become susceptible to this malign criminality,” he added.

“Our great city is gaining a depressing reputation for violence.

“We will never accept that this horrifying situation is the new normal for London. Londoners deserve better.”

The committee has released figures highlighting which boroughs have witnessed the most murders in 2018.

Hackney and Haringey have both had six, while Camden and Lambeth have seen five each.

Four people have been murdered in Barking and Dagenham and three in each of Barnet, Hammersmith & Fulham, Redbridge, Brent, Greenwich, Islington, Southwark and Waltham Forest.

Only four of the city’s 33 boroughs – Bexley, Lewisham, Richmond and Sutton – have seen no murder investigations launched this year.

A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: “Rising crime is a national issue that requires national solutions.

“Steve O’Connell should be joining the mayor in putting pressure on his government to reverse the cuts which will see £1bn slashed from the Met’s budget.”

Source: BBC News