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Ken admits: I can't stop killings
Ross Lydall, City Hall Editor11.01.08
Ken Livingstone has admitted he is powerless to halt the soaring death toll of young Londoners.
The Mayor used his biggest set-piece speech of the year to confess that he had no easy answers.
His admission comes only days after his Tory rival Boris Johnson accused him of treating the killings as if they happened on another planet.
Addressing hundreds of London politicians and VIPs for his annual London Government speech at the Mansion House last night, Mr Livingstone said the overall murder rate, which stood at 204 people in 2004, was expected to fall 27 per cent in 2007.
But he added: "The real pressure is the growth of violence among teenagers.
"No Mayor or Commissioner of Police can stop that. It's about giving young people a moral code."
Mr Livingstone was unusually subdued and didn't use the speech to showcase new ideas for a third term.
One senior Tory said it showed the Mayor "had run out of ideas".
Reader views (9)
Young people need clear goals and education to support these goals. Thugs bent on injuring need to be given strict eduaction (education teaching cause and effect)and that empowers them out of the trap of violence. It's possible that young people caught up in crime and assualt may be driven to meet debts owed out of the misuse of drugs. Hatred for the other person because they are from another or different estate and area is quite ludicrous therefore some measure of identity needs to be inputed. The influence of media and imported gang sterotype images glorified in film production needs countering with positive self images of the young person.
The law must act with speed before this problem becomes too entrenched. Young people and the wider community should be made to feel safe not unsafe with the rise of dangerous criminal activity. There has to be a strong message to all those bent on this behaviour to stop!
- Frederick, London
The best approach for the Mayor is to propose and promote stricter penalties for the thugs, thus enforcing a greater understanding of authority and an appreciation of punishment. For years people have been promoting the 'better education', and ‘misunderstood’ argument, which is clearly not working and little more than an excuse, concealing a lazy approach to the emergent situation. In many people's experience, the hard working, law abiding are becoming increasingly intolerant to the constant intimidation and the narcissism of this breed of degenerates. The Government must listen to the Mayor as a representative of London and understand what is happening in today’s Capital and further a field in the UK.
- D Price, London
I believe the problem that we have stems from lack of parental control as well as government interference in child discipline. In my day, if we did wrong, it was understood that there would be punishment in one form or another. These days parents are punished if they chastise their children, why is everyone so surprised that the children turn out this way. Someone should check when all this bad behaviour came to a head. Does it coincide with these new found laws per chance?
- F.Mitchell, London
In truth, Ken is not able to stop the killings. The community at large, especially parents, are the ones with the key role to give morals to our youths. Even law enforcemnt agents can only do so much.
- Jummy, London, West Drayton, UK
Ken is well past his sell-by date and the sooner we dump him the better..
- Johno, London
Surely we want a politician who at least has a conviction that he can make a difference. If Ken is now resigned to the fact that the appalling level of violence which affects so many families is to be the status quo going forward then it's time for him to vacate office. I am disgusted!
- Paul, London
What exactly do people expect him to do about it. Maybe those criticising him could come up with a sure way to stop it happening but I doubt it. Personally, I think he does a great job and will vote for him again.
- Charlie, London
Would the senior Tory who believes Ken has run out of ideas care to share his own party's ideas with us then?
- Billy Blighty, London, England
It's nice to a politician being honest.
- William Hooper, London
