Earlier this week, we saw the Home Secretary announce that the Government will be consulting on a public health approach to tackling violent crime.
Whilst this is welcome, it is something that our community in Brent and Harrow and my colleagues at City Hall have long been calling for. It has been incredibly disappointing to see the Government continue to fall behind the curve when it comes to protecting Londoners and ensuring that our police are adequately resourced.
On the other hand, the Mayor of London has been proactive in clamping down on violent crime. He has set up a Violence Reduction Unit, put in place a dedicated anti-knife crime strategy and has invested in youth and early intervention projects in Brent through his Young Londoners Fund.
Going forward, the Government needs to act swiftly on its pledge to introduce a public health approach. It took until April last year for the then Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, to finally publish a Serious Violence Strategy, which ended up pledging very little in the way of the level of funding needed.
Time is not on our side. We simply cannot afford any further delays.
Navin Shah AM
London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow
