Met chief admits force has failed to stem violence

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Commander Rod Jarman, the man with long-term responsibility for youth engagement and serious youth violence, admitted the level of serious crime committed by teenagers had remained unchanged.

In an exclusive interview he also admits an alarming rise in the number of teenagers being murdered, and a fall in the age of teenage killers. Politicians immediately seized on the frank admission - claiming a whole generation was being let down by a failure to deal with the problem.

MrJarman said: "If you look at youth violence in London it is about the same level it has been for the past three years. What we have seen in the past two years is something that has significantlychanged in terms of young people-dying. That has required us to look deeper into what is happening and to work with other agencies to find the underlying causes."

Warning an end to the teen murders was not in sight, he said: "It is going to be a long road and we have got to keep the organisation focused on this until things are in the right place.

"The problem is extremely complex. Murders are happening in lots of different places in London, and when you talk to kids they give you a different take on what is happening."

The Standard has also learned that a task force aimed at targeting gangs has been disbanded after only one year.

Despite the Met declaring Croydon's Group Offending Team a huge success, funding was not renewed for a second year. Weeks later 16-year-old Shakilus Townsend was stabbed to death by a gang with a violent history, in an area previously covered by the team.

Politicians today reacted angrily to the failure to make any impact on teenage crime and called it a "real concern".

Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve, said: "It shows we are failing to tackle the root causes of crime and are letting down a whole generation of young people.

"As well as more police on the streets and stronger sentences to act as a deterrent, we must tackle the causes of crime such as drugs and family breakdown."