It’s been eight painful years since Sadiq Khan took over at City Hall. Eight long years that he’s been responsible for the Metropolitan Police. And what do we have to show for it?
Londoners have watched as crime has skyrocketed on his watch, violent crime, and knife violence especially. So, it was galling this week to see Labour trotting out lines they didn’t even seem entirely convinced of, attempting to talk tough on crime, whilst their own Mayor achieves nothing.
It was reported here on GB News that crime rates across the city have soared, and Khan has opted to blame others (again) rather than act himself.
For so many years he has tried to talk tough but failed to be tough. It wasn’t that long ago that he blamed violent phone robberies on people having ‘attractive phones’. I mean, really!
Sadiq Khan took over at City Hall eight years ago
PA
And this week murders in our city tragically topped one thousand – what was Khan doing? Talking about Brexit. I could hardly believe it. The gall of the man, to rabbit on about Remain, when the city he is meant to be running is falling apart in front of our eyes.
Our great city is a tragic example of what happens when you have a man at the top who has checked out of the job he is meant to be doing. Whilst we grapple with the consequences of escalating violence, Sadiq Khan seeks to shift the blame, and it’s getting wearisome.
Instead of shouldering responsibility for the escalating violence that is spilling out into the streets every day, he insists on pointing the figure of blame at everyone but himself. Why? Because he knows he’s out of answers, and he knows he is running out of time.
Londoners are tired of a mayor whose hollow promises and unwillingness to confront the reality of his failures are having a direct negative impact on everyone’s safety. The phrase "tough on crime" has become a hollow slogan when uttered by our mayor. An echo that rings hollow when faced with grim facts – over one thousand people have been murdered in our city since he took control.
It’s a reminder of Khan’s abject failure to deliver on the very promises that propelled him to office.
Londoners deserve a mayor who not only talks tough but is tough. A mayor that translates those words into action, that invests in and backs our police, and gives them the political support to get knives off our streets, break up the gangs, and sort this out.
When I ran Harrow, a London borough in the north of our city, we saw crime drop and became one of the safest boroughs in London, where people had trust and confidence in our local police. Why? Because I stepped up. Community Champions, a scheme I rolled out borough-wide, stepped in and worked with our communities to address their worries at the street level.
When I entered the London Assembly, I watched in horror as Sadiq tore the police apart. He shut down police stations. He forced our police into a ‘basic command unit’ structure, removing local policing and replacing it with a centralised structure that placed multiple boroughs under the same unit.
I have argued that this was the wrong approach, time and time again. As Mayor, it is an argument I will win. It’s a fight we will win. We will take the fight to the gangs of criminal thugs that plague our city, and smash them apart.
Sadiq Khan’s eight years in office have been marked by a legacy of broken promises and skyrocketing crime rates, leaving us grappling with the consequences of his inaction and incompetence.
The time has come for a change. A decisive move that places the police on the front foot, ending the posturing that has been personified by this mayor and gets stuff done.
I will be more stick than carrot – a leader who is unafraid to implement direct measures to ensure the safety of Londoners. We need a return to a well-executed stop-and-search policy, because swift and targeted interventions are essential to getting knives off our streets.
I will strike the right balance between civil liberties and public safety, and bring an end to Khan’s lenient ‘hands-off’ approach. Londoners need a mayor who is unafraid to make tough decisions, someone who understands that the safety of our communities should not be sacrificed at the altar of political correctness.
Tough times call for tough measures, and it's high time we prioritise the security of our neighbourhoods over the mayor's rhetoric.
MORE CONTENT FOR GBN MEMBERS:
A lack of meaningful action has consistently undermined Sadiq Khan's rhetoric on crime. We deserve a mayor who can transform words into deeds and will roll up their sleeves and work tirelessly to address the root causes of crime in our city.
It is time to demand real results.
In calling for tougher action, it is crucial to remember that the objective is not punitive but preventive – to create an environment where crime is deterred, communities are safer, and residents can go about their lives without fear.
It's about sending a clear message to criminals: we will no longer tolerate your actions, you will fear the police, and the public shall no longer fear you.
The choice is clear: London deserves a mayor who delivers, not one who just talks tough.
I will be that Mayor.
Susan Hall is the Conservative Mayoral Candidate for London.
Responding to the article, aspokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “Government cuts have been a disaster for combating crime across the country, particularly youth violence. The Government has cut £1bn from the Met Police in real terms since 2010 and £1 billion from youth services nationally, which has had a devastating impact on the vital support communities can provide. Cuts have consequences.
“The Mayor continues to step in to fill the financial gaps left by the Government as much as possible, investing record amounts from City Hall to support the police, including an additional £88m this year alone. He has increased funding for the police by 93 per cent since 2016 and invested in positive opportunities for over 300,000 young Londoners at risk of getting involved in gangs and violence.
“The latest ONS statistics show that violence against the person in London is below the average for England and Wales. The Mayor’s record investment in the police and early intervention, through London’s Violence Reduction Unit, has contributed to homicides, gun crime and the number of young people being injured with knives all falling in London since 2016, despite London’s population rising and the impact of government austerity. But it’s clear that violent crime remains far too high and there’s much more to do. That’s why Sadiq is determined to continue being tough on crime and tough on the complex causes of crime, but we urgently need the Government to follow our lead and commit to properly funding the police and our youth services to help us build a safer London for everyone.”