Innocent kids are dying on our streets and egotistic Sadiq Khan is blaming mobile phones…he is useless
KNIFE crime is a devastating epidemic that has plagued London's streets for too long, says Tory mayoral hopeful Susan Hall.
The tragic killing of a young man just moments before the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve shows that it is still ongoing.
In 2023, 21 teenagers met violent deaths in London, up from 14 the previous year but below a peak of 30 in 2021.
Of those who died, 18 were stabbed, two were shot and one was killed in a collision with a car while riding a moped.
And while Sadiq Khan has been distracted with his ego-driven fireworks display, flogging copies of his book, and taking money off motorists, it has been spiralling out of control.
After eight long years of failure under this mayor, during which time violent crime has risen, something desperately needs to be done.
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But as expected, Khan is up to his old tricks.
This weekend, I was astonished to watch him in an interview blaming the surge in stabbings on mobile phones.
This is a new one, from a man who once blamed the weather for his dreadful failings on crime.
Khan believes that the reason why people are getting stabbed is because the mobile phones in their pockets are so attractive, they are almost begging to be stolen and for their owners to be knifed.
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He thinks the answer isn't to take more knives off the streets, but to get Apple and Google to make the phones less attractive so that murderous thieves aren't provoked into stealing them.
If this sounds familiar, then it is.
This is exactly the same kind of victim-blaming used to attack women when they are victims of sexual violence.
Criminals are the ones to blame for crimes, not their victims.
Not only is it morally reprehensible, but it also has no basis in reality.
Stabbings are mostly gang-related or linked up with drug dealing, not petty theft.
At the risk of stating the obvious, the way you reduce knife crime is with good policing.
It's just common sense – it's a tried and tested method to reduce crime, and it's how I plan to do it as Mayor next May.
Under Khan's watch, the Met Police has lost public trust and fallen into special measures for the first time ever.
I will put £200million into the police to turn things around, restore trust and put bobbies back on the beat.
We deserve better than a Mayor who, for the eight years he has been in charge, has only ever passed the buck and refused to take responsibility.
He is in charge of the police in London, yet he does everything he can to pretend that he isn't.
That has to change. And on 2nd May, it can.
Susan Hall is the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "I'm devastated for the families and friends of those who have lost their lives to violence.
"As both an MP and Mayor, I've met with many bereaved families and communities and have seen first-hand the profound and long-lasting impact of violent crime.
"Every death is a tragedy and it strengthens my determination to continue leading from the front to build a safer London for everyone.
"Due to massive Government cuts to policing and youth services, there has been a nationwide increase in violent crime over the last ten years, but thanks to record investment in the police from City Hall and the hard work of London's Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), the first in the country, the number of homicides in London last year fell to its lowest since 2014.
"Homicides, gun crime and the number of young people being injured with knives have all fallen in London since 2016.
"But it's clear that violent crime remains far too high and there's much more to do.
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"One life lost to violent crime will always be one too many and I'm determined to continue making progress by being both tough on crime and tough on the complex causes of crime.
"I will also continue to put pressure on the Government to play it's part in reducing violent crime, which is clearly a national problem that requires action and investment on a national scale on the police and criminal justice system as well as helping to address the underlying causes – like poverty, inequality, social alienation and a lack of opportunities."
LIST OF TEENAGERS WHO MET VIOLENT DEATHS IN LONDON IN 2023
In 2023 21 teenagers met violent deaths in London, up from 14 the previous year but below a peak of 30 in 2021.
Of those who died, 18 were stabbed, two were shot and one was killed in a collision with a car while riding a moped.
Here is a list of those who lost their lives.
April 10 - Chima Osuji, 17, was fatally stabbed after being chased by an attacker in Chingford, east London.
April 13 - Tyler McDermott, 17, died after being found with a gunshot wound in Norman Road, Tottenham, north London.
May 5 - Wazabakana Elenda Jordan Kukabu, known as Jordan, 18, from Romford, Essex, was stabbed to death near Dagenham Heathway Underground station in east London.
May 5 - Renell Charles, 16, a pupil at Kelmscott School in Walthamstow, north-east London, was ambushed and fatally stabbed in the chest near his school.
June 19 - Khaled Saleh, 17, was found with stab wounds in Paddington Green, central London.
June 26 - Victor Lee, 17, from Ealing, west London, was found stabbed in a canal under Scrubs Lane, near Willesden Junction.
June 29 - Leonardo Reid, 15, was stabbed during a music video shoot in Elthorne Road, Archway, north London.
July 3 - Andre Salmon, 18, was riding a moped when he was shot in the chest in Stamford Road, Tottenham, north London.
July 9 - Rahaan Ahmed Amin, 16, was stabbed in the heart in West Ham Park in Newham, east London.
July 14 - Claudyo Jauad Lafayette, 17, was stabbed in a fight in the street following a birthday party in Granville Road, Kilburn, north-west London.
July 28 - Stefan Valentine Balaban, 19, was stabbed in Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, north London.
August 7 - Yusuf Mohamoud, 18, was found with fatal knife injuries near a supermarket in Regent's Park Road, Finchley, north London.
September 4 - Anis Omar Zen, 19, was fatally stabbed in Masefield Avenue in Stanmore, north London.
September 20 - Max Moy Wheatley, 19, was stabbed in Jubilee Country Park close to Tent Peg Lane in Petts Wood, south-east London.
September 27 - Elianne Andam, 15, was stabbed on her way to school in Croydon, south London.
October 1 - Taye Faik, 16, died after he was stabbed near his home in Kendal Gardens, Edmonton, north London, in an attack by two men.
October 9 - Tafari Thompson-Mintah, 16, was killed when a car hit his moped in Sevenoaks Way, Orpington, south-east London.
October 29 - Indian national Mehak Sharma, 19, was fatally stabbed in Ash Tree Way, Croydon, south London, weeks after moving to the UK to become a carer.
November 15 - Simarjeet Singh Nangpal, 17, was stabbed to death in Burket Close, Hounslow, west London, after police were called to reports of a fight.
December 5 - Ilyas Habibi, 17, was stabbed in Sutton High Street, south London, shortly after getting off a train on his way home from college.
December 31 - Harry Pitman, 16, was stabbed in Primrose Hill, Camden, north London, after going to watch New Year fireworks with a group of friends.