Violence to be treated as a disease in London, mayor announces

Violence is to be treated as a disease in a bid to stem the rising number of murders, the Mayor of London has announced. 

Based on Glasgow’s hugely successful violence reduction unit - which is credited with having helped half the city’s murder rate - Sadiq Khan has made £500,000 available for the scheme. 

It will operate across London and tackle violence using public health initiatives as well as traditional crime fighting tactics.

The capital’s murder rate has already passed the 100 mark, with 40 of those victims ages under 25, and the mayor has been under increasing pressure to address the reasons behind the current crime epidemic. 

Researchers in Scotland identified a range of similar social factors that many of those involved in violence shared, such as school exclusion and exposure to domestic abuse. 

By identifying youngsters from similar backgrounds they were able to target initiatives early on in an effort to steer them away from trouble. 

In the early 2000s Glasgow was dubbed the murder capital of Europe with 15 youngsters being killed in knife attacks between 2006 and 2011.

Between April 2011 and April 2016 there were none. 

But the Mayor admitted it was a long term strategy which wild not yield results overnight. 

He said: “The causes of violent crime are extremely complex involving deep seated societal problems like poverty, social alienation, mental ill heath and a lack of opportunity.

“I want to be honest with Londoners that the work of the Violence Reduction Unit will not deliver results overnight.

"The causes of violent crime are many years in the making and the solutions will take time. That's why our new approach is focusing over the long term.

"This unit is not a substitute for the investment our public services need if London is to significantly cut levels of violent crime."

The Metropolitan Police has also launched a violent crime task force, which was boosted last week by another 122 officers.

The unit was launched to bear down on those responsible for violent robberies and knife and gun crime across the capital.

Another murder investigation was launched in London yesterday after a 25 year old man was stabbed to death in the Tufnell Park area. 

One witness claimed the stabbing followed a mobile phone robbery.