£8.5 million to tackle violence in London

The Mayor of London has announced £8.5 million to tackle violence in the city and raise standards in the Met.

The funding will be allocated to the Met and Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime with the intention to tackle drug supply lines, provide further training to leaders and line managers in the Met, and boost the work of the Violence Reduction Unit in an approach to tackling violence that is rooted in prevention and early intervention.

£2.25 million will be used to further support work to tackle drug-related crime and harms, divert more drug users into treatment and rehabilitation, and safeguard young Londoners vulnerable to exploitation by drugs gangs.

£1.5 million is to be spent on London’s Violence Reduction Unit to further support young people, grassroots organisations and communities to create innovative initiatives and ideas to tackle violence in their neighbourhoods.

A further £1.5 million will go to London’s Violence Reduction Unit to extend the IRIS programme, which offers training for doctors and healthcare professionals to boost their abilities in identifying the signs of domestic violence and offering earlier help to victims.

Finally, £3.3 million is to be used to support the new Commissioner’s drive for higher standards in the Met. Further funding is proposed to reform the culture of and improve standards in the Met, including a new Leadership Academy to provide enhanced training for Met leaders and line managers.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m committed to doing all I can to tackle violent crime and to make our city safer, and I’m proud to have invested record sums from City Hall to support the work of the police. We are seeing real progress with serious violence down in our capital since 2016, bucking the national trend, and a new Commissioner introducing vital reforms to the Met – but there is much more to do.

“This new City Hall funding will help to build on our work to tackle crime, further supporting my Violence Reduction Unit in tackling the complex causes of violence, creating more opportunities for young people and assisting the Commissioner in his urgent work to transform the culture of the Met.

“The safety of Londoners is my top priority, and this funding is another example of my commitment to building a safer London for everyone.”

Image by Ch AFleks from Pixabay