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Gang deaths? Mayor blames the boroughs
Paul Waugh and Pippa Crerar28.04.08
Ken Livingstone has blamed London councils for the rise in teenage murders and gang crime, claiming they have "fallen down on the job" of funding youth clubs.
Mr Livingstone's remarks came as new figures showed that fear of crime in the capital has soared.
Last year 27 young Londoners were murdered and 11 have been killed so far this year. The Mayor blamed the boroughs - most of which are Tory-run - for failing to find cash for youth activities.
He told BBC's Politics Show that tackling the cause of crime was key to getting murder rates down. "It isn't simply more police officers that are going to stop it," he said. "What we have not had in this city is a proper programme to get kids off the streets and into youth activities. That has been a borough responsibility. They have fallen down on the job."
The Government recently gave the Mayor responsibility for youth services and handed him £60 million to increase provision-Merrick Cockell, leader of London Councils which represents the boroughs, denied the claims and said: "For the last eight years Ken Livingstone has had no interest in youth services or youth crime."
An independent study commissioned by Boris Johnson found concern over violent street crime is at a five-year high.
More than half of Londoners polled by social scientists at Robert Gordon University thought crime had made their neighbourhood worse, while 43 per cent believed they or their family were in immediate danger.
Eighty-five per cent of 418 Londoners polled last month and thismonth felt Mr Livingstone and the Government had not done enough to tackle the problem.
Mr Johnson claimed the figures showed the Mayor had failed to take tackling crime, which he has put at the centre of his campaign, seriously enough.
Reader views (2)
Really?
Last week, threatened with serious assault in a car park.
Went to the police, out came two. Went to the car park, found the offender. One policeman (the other being female)was most unsympathetic, told me that it was not an offence, that driving at us at high speed, verbalizing abuse and pursuing us - the wrong way round the car park (i.e. against the arrows) was a 'road rage' and that an apology from both sides would settle matters - note, I have to apologize. Wife seriously shaken, pale distressed. After half-an-hour of interviewing of accused, a bogus claim of 'racial abuse' against me invented. (I taught ethnic minorities for 25 years, have given lectures on racism to teachers). Male policeman almost as aggressive as the car driver. Not satisfied, wrote a report to the officer in charge. Letter back, threatening violence is not an offence (in Islington it seems), policeman acted properly in lecturing me on the law, in interpreting this as 'road-rage' even before coming to the scene or interviewing parties concerned - amazing. I'm 72, my wife 69. Do express the wish that officers of Islington Police meet their targets of car number plate collections this quarter. Really pleased to pay for more extra police (Boris) and altogether happy to pay my police portion of the Council Tax for this kind of support - as you probably can imagine. Remember, threatening serious violence and assault not prosecutable in Islington, better things to do than preventing crime.
- Norman Speight, London UK
Livingstone yet again blames everyone but himself for his failure to tackle serious crime. Aiming for a 6% reduction in crime figures is in my book not only very poor but probably very easy to achieve with creative accounting on the statistics.
- Clarky, London
