Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he does not believe he has done anything wrong in the battle against violent crime in the capital.
Despite criticism of his response to an upsurge of serious gun and knife attacks in London, Mr Khan insisted things would be worse if it were not for his initiatives.
Asked what he had done wrong in dealing with the situation, the mayor told LBC: “I don’t think we have done anything wrong in London.
“Nor do I think, by the way, the police and crime commissioners across the country have done much wrong.”
The Metropolitan Police have recorded 62 murders so far this year, of which 39 involved knives and 10 guns.
In the first three months of this year 45 murders were recorded, compared with the first quarter of 2017 when there were 23.
The mayor defended his record, saying: “I think things would be worse if we didn’t invest the new money we invested in this year and last year.”
Accepting responsibility for policing in the capital, Mr Khan said all sectors of society needed to work together to tackle serious violent crime.
He said: “We should not excuse or tolerate serious violent crime.
“We should not think that it’s OK for there just to be one stabbing rather than three.
“That means investing in young people. I’m determined to do what I can to invest in prevention and also in enforcement.”
Tory MP, and party vice chairman for London, Paul Scully said: “Sadiq Khan needs to take action on violent crime for the safety of Londoners.
“As the Mayor of London he has direct responsibility – and the powers – to tackle violent crime in our city, and shifting the blame will not save the lives that are tragically being lost on the capital’s streets.”
Additional reporting by the Press Association
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