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Get a grip on London's gang violence, Boris challenges Ken
Ross Lydall and Pippa Crerar, Evening Standard07.01.08
Boris Johnson has challenged Ken Livingstone to "get a grip" on gang violence on the streets of London or risk a tragic escalation in killings.
The Tory mayoral candidate attacked the lack of leadership from City Hall as he called for a concerted policy - bringing together the Mayor, police and charities - to tackle the problem.
Mr Johnson also demanded that police be issued with scanners that enable them to detect weapons without having to search suspects.
His call for action comes after Faridon Alizada, 18, was stabbed to death in Erith, south-east London, early on Saturday. Last week Henry Bolombi, 17, was killed after getting off a night bus in Edmonton - adding to the 27 deaths recorded last year.
Mr Johnson today announced a detailed set of policies to reverse the surge in knife crime and castigated Mr Livingstone for treating the killings as "strange news from another planet".
He wants mobile scanners used in "hot spots" such as Tube stations and on large crowds travelling to festivals, noting the haul of weapons that resulted from a British Transport Police operation at a carnival in 2006.
Writing in today's Evening Standard, Mr Johnson said: "Just after Christmas, a kid was stabbed to death round the corner from me in Islington, in broad daylight, in front of hundreds of horrified shoppers. Two days ago there was another terrible stabbing, this time in Bexley.
"We cannot allow 2008 to be as bad as 2007, when 27 London teenagers were murdered. It is time we got a grip on the culture of the gangs and gang-related killings - and the first step is for City Hall to stop treating the problem as though it were strange news from another planet.
"It is a scandal that so far we have heard little or nothing on it from the Mayor, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, or the Home Secretary. We need positive action, a short, medium and long-term strategy for getting us out of this mess."
He calls for the use of both portable arches and powerful hand-held devices, suggested by former Met commissioner Lord Stevens, to enable officers to search a suspect from a distance without having to go through the legal - and often ethnically controversial - processes of making an official stop.
Other ideas include:
• Making it his "number one priority" to stamp out knife and gun crime if elected Mayor.
• Ending "political correctness" in the way he says police question suspects.
•Guaranteeing London Development Agency funding for community sports projects.
• Funding community groups such as the Eastside Young Leaders Academy, which uses tough mentoring schemes to divert teenagers from crime.
•Trialling live CCTV coverage on 20 of the most crime-ridden bus routes.
He also called for a more visible policing and less paperwork which keeps trained officers off the beat, a concerted effort to boost public confidence in the police to make sure they felt it was worth reporting crime and all new buildings in London to be designed to make crime more difficult, meaning an end to walkways and dimly-lit stairwells. Mr Johnson pointed to the BTP's Operation Shield, which he said recovered 90 weapons including 57 knives, a taser, knuckledusters, four CS and pepper spray canisters and batons in one day during the 2006 Luton festival. Mr Livingstone has backed the use of knife scanners in schools but is less keen on installing permanent scanners at Tube and train stations.
During his visit to India last year he saw one in Delhi, installed by authorities fearing a terrorist attack on the underground. At the time the Mayor said it would be impractical to search every Tube passenger at peak times. Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate and former Met deputy assistant commissioner Brian Paddick has spoken frequently of the need to address the number of teenage knife killings.
He wants to pass the form-filling burden of police officers to community support officers to enable them to get back on patrol as quickly as possible
after an arrest. Mr Paddick said the spate of killings was "not a temporary aberration but a fundamental shift in culture among our young people". He added: "We need more than the usual combination of downplaying the issue and ineffective, cosmetic initiatives. I am determined to use my 30 years of policing experience to come up with solutions."
Reader views (25)
Athough part of me thinks having Boris as Mayor would be a laugh, I could never really be that flipant so I'll stick with Ken. He isn't perfect but he's done a reasonably good job as far as I'm concerned. The congestion charge and the improvement in the bus services has improved the quality of life for myself and many thousands of Londoners.
ALthough crime is an issue of concern, I'm more worried about being killed by a maniac driving a 4x4 than being stabbed or shot by a kid.
- Edwin, W. Hampstead UK
I'd like to know who Boris employee’s as his scriptwriter, they maybe liable for plagiarism charges after copying the Lib Dems again. Surely no one believes he wrote it himself?
- Ryan, London
You had your chance Paddick and did nowt.
- Squiz, Islington
Some sensible proposals from Boris. As for Paddick, I won't be voting for a man who in his senior position within the Met stood by and watched these problems escalate... Setting up scanners at the top of escalators within tube stations leaves people with little option but to pass through the arch. If they can't travel around with their weapons what is the likelihood of them committing these crimes on their own doorsteps? A proven tactic that works and a real vote winner in my opinion. Glad someone is talking about the issues of the day.
- Steve, London
Please read the article carefully. It is me, Brian Paddick, who has been calling for action on the problem of knife crime, long before Boris started spouting on it. It is me, Brian Paddick, who suggested getting PCSOs to fill in the forms for regular officers, to get more real police officers out on the street, long before Boris even thought of it. If you are really serious about cutting crime, why not elect someone who really knows what he is doing based on experience? You can't set up scanners on council estates and make people walk through them - it might work at a pop concert but it won't work where it needs to, if we are to stop these murders.
- Brian Paddick, London, UK
Nice one Boris. In particular I admire his proposal to banish political correctness - another scurge of modern life. I'd much rather have a sincere person (like Prince Philip) who speaks his mind - even if I disagree with his stance, at least I can be sure he's being truthfull. Can't say that for many polititians with their politically correct speeches and spin!
- John Michael Richards, Newton-le-Willows, United Kingdom
Well done, Boris. Keep on pushing and we'll get there.
- Jack Cade, London, UK.
Words are cheap - Photo opportunities are great - Politicians salaries and pensions are guaranteed... Yawn, yawn. Why don't we just turn City Hall into a museum for dinosaurs and dismantle the supporting cast of thousands as an interesting experiment that is too expensive and of no real benefit to Londoners. Next time we have an election for the Major of London, maybe they should have an extra box to tick, which says none of the above. Frankly all the candidates are just too scary to contemplate and London has in previous times done a great job of looking after itself.
- Colin Bond, London
At last a politician who stands up for people actually living in the capital. London has an awful reputation around the world now for violence. Go Boris Go!
- Anna Moreno, London, UK
Boris, Ken and his pal, Sir Ian Blair, are sitting targets, just keep reminding us how they fail Londoners every single day.
Roll on the election, bye, bye Ken (assuming all the votes get counted this time).
- Stephen, London, England
Crime is the number 1 priority for Londoners, it is about time we had a Mayor who made it his number 1 priority. Stopping the visits to regimes with dodgy human rights records would free up time to deal with Londoners' concerns.
- Russell, London
Boris is correct on this; Ken needs dumping soon; Paddick is a bad joke..
- Johno, London
My vote is also for Boris! We need again police on the streets! Paper shuffling anybody can do.
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
More good stuff from Boris. We need to get a grip on London's growing gang culture and Boris seems to have the right ideas.
- Mark Clarke, Tooting
Boris couldn't run a bath, let alone a city like London. Let's hear what a policeman like Brian Paddick has to say on policing in the capital. After all, he's the expert!
- Simon, NW3
I've seen a mobile scanner in action, at a mainline railway station.
Very effective, very high profile, and for the knife carriers, very in you face for them. It's a simple way of catching them, because anyone who suddenly turns around and walks the other way, can be searched.
Sadly, I only ever saw it once. I hope it wasn't a gimmick.
- Roger, London
So we're all going to be scanned in the streets? A vote for Boris is a vote for Big Brother... With both a plum and a silver spoon in his disaster-prone mouth, Blunderhead Boris knows nothing about the environments where these attacks take place. Everything he's said here suggests he's entirely incapable of 'getting a grip' on them.
- Charlie, Soho
It seems like this new mayor will do more on London crime. Boris is right to make the London police more efficient (less paper targets more bobbies on the street catching the baddies!), Red Ken was too soft on crime and I cannot wait for the elections in a couple of months!
- Jonathan, Islington, London
It will be interesting to see exactly what Boris will do if he does get elected. Will he give the "little Blighters" a good thrashing.
- Mike, Bedford England
Sorry Boris, but Ken is too busy on his overseas jaunts to Cuba, Venezuela, Singapore, China and India to worry about London.
Livingstone is also tied up extending the Congestion Charge across the whole of London. There's no time in his busy schedule to chat to his chum, Ian Blair about the rises in deaths from shootings and stabbings in the capital.
- Richard, Greater London, England
Red Ken has let London down. We do not need Community Support Officers.
- Stephen, London NW1
It is true that the police needs to be improved in London. Boris does make sense and Red Ken not...
- Peteo, London
Absolutely action - but what about the causes behind it; and the environments; and the local councils and MP's. Walked the other day up the Kingsland Road - no wonder life there is vile - it looks like an open rubbish dump. Having areas of the city looking like abandoned rubbish dumps and no go areas only contributes to the confidence of gangs.
- Julianne, London
Way to go Boris. I'm voting for you!
- Squiz, Islington
And about time someone started to preach action and not political correctiveness!
- Jay Bay, London
