At the end of an urgent investigation into violent crime in
London, the London Assembly Police and Crime
Committee has requested the Mayor of London,
take urgent steps to tackle the
high levels of violence in the capital – which has seen more than
120 homicides so far, this year.
The committee has welcomed the Mayor’s establishment of a
Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), and the move toward a ‘public
health approach’ but is concerned about the lack of detail about
the unit and what it will mean in practice.
The committee has written to the Mayor with recommendations aimed
at shaping the future work of the VRU, including:
- The
VRU must tackle all forms of violence - whether it is committed
with a gun, a knife, a broken bottle or a fist; and either by an
adult or a young person. This includes tackling domestic
violence.
-
Prevention is key. The VRU should explicitly focus on
tackling ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) - the term given to
traumatic situations children live through—which increase the
likelihood of poor outcomes by impacting on physical health,
cognitive development and behaviour.
- The VRU needs to focus on school exclusions at an early stage
in its work programme.
- The Mayor and the VRU should call on social media providers
to take down all content that explicitly calls for the use of
violence.
Steve O’Connell AM, Chairman of
the Police and Crime Committee, said:
“Londoners are heartbroken to hear about the near daily
carnage on our streets, the young lives lost and the misery for
families and communities.
“The Mayor’s new Violence Reduction Unit will need to
demonstrate that it brings something different to the table. It
cannot simply be a re-branding exercise of existing programmes
and policies.
“We cannot emphasise enough how critical it is that the unit
tackles the traumatic situations that children might live through
in order to break the cycle of violence”
“We do not underestimate the challenge ahead but it’s time
for the Mayor to take even further and drastic action because
London is crying out for change.”
Notes for Editors:
- The letter to
the Mayor is attached
