Forum Topic

Another 'success' for our wonderful Mayor

Before you vote Khan consider this.London has just recorded the second-highest annual tally for knife crime in the capital over the past decade and, with a mayoral election months away, 54 per cent higher than in March 2016, shortly before Sadiq Khan took power at City Hall.Yet, he claims it is 'under control'.Really?

N V Brooks ● 112d48 Comments

Ignoring the facts? How about making the facts and data up?

Maggie Dodge ● 109d

Just to add, take a look at statistics for Manchester.  Under Andy Burnham knife crime is reported to have fallen every year under his Mayoralty.

N V Brooks ● 109d

Fed up with people apologising for an abject failure.https://www.statista.com/statistics/864736/knife-crime-in-london/Refer toi this table. It ROSE every year under Khan until ALL crime dropped during the pandemic. After lockdown ended it started to rise again, and is still rising.

N V Brooks ● 109d

Knife crime in London did not rise "EVERY year until 2020". That statement is simply, factually, wrong.It has risen since the end of the pandemic, but is still lower than pre-pandemic levels. Pre Khan's election in 2016, knife crime had been rising (and faster than post pandemic).  As has been pointed out elsewhere, the trend for London shows a slower rise than elsewhere in the UK.Knife crime is a very serious issue.  It is, frankly, distasteful in the extreme to try to "weaponise" it for party political reasons.  And it is just silly to ignore the facts to suit a political agenda.  And dangerously irresponsible: - ignoring the facts will make it harder to find effective solutions.

T P Howell ● 109d

As far as the mayoral election is concerned, Kahn will be elected due to the Conservative Party’s lackadaisical approach to the murders in Gaza. Kahn has been outspoken on this issue and has garnered much support. He is helped by the fact that the conservatives have no effective candidate.

Steve Taylor ● 109d

"Members of the W4 Forum are not the mugs some contributors seem to think we are".Some seem to have been sucked in by Khan's obfuscation, you are not the first, you won't be the last. Overall knife crime rose EVERY year until 2020, it fell during the pandemic, but OVERALL it is on the rise again.  You can selectively read this as much as you like, knife crime is on the increase.

N V Brooks ● 109d

To say "it is shown a year on year increase since and did every year up until 2020 under his mayoralty" is meaningless.  It is also factually wrong.Khan became Mayor in May 2016.  He would have had limited impact on knife crime for some period after that.  However if we compare Metropolitan Police published data (End of Year TNO Crime Statistics - FY2017/2018 to Present - on the link that I already provided - https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/year-end-crime-statistics-22-23/If we look at "Possession of Article with Blade or Point" for sample months of April and October2017 = 220 / 308  2018 = 283 / 2632019 = 234 / 2872020 = 225  / 2462021 = 232  / 2462022 = 230 / 215So in fact, taking the data for April and October each year as samples, "Possession of Article with Blade or Point" has DECREASED considerably (15%) between 2018 and 2022 (even before the pandemic).  The only increase was between 2017 and 2018 (arguably before any influence Khan could have had on the trend, which was consistently upwards before he became Mayor).If we look at "Violence with injury" (which does not give a breakdown as to whether a knife was involved, so not a direct measure, but may be a better reflection of actual violence), the data for the same months tells a picture of 4% increase.2017 = 5,481/ 6,8972018 = 6,187/ 6,4262019 = 6,336/ 6,2732020 = 4,665/ 5,5792021 = 5,706/ 6,6542022 = 6,170/ 6,725In either case, an analysis of different months may give different results.  And as previously mentioned, the statistics may reflect differences in reporting, and the way that reports are recorded by the police.However, other sources show that knife crime FELL by 13% in London between 2019.20 and 2022/23, whereas other areas (e.g. Staffordshire 46% increase over the same period) showed considerable increases.  (But the percentage increase can be a reflection of an increase in low numbers).If anyone is seriously interested in the facts here, rather than cheap (and simply factually wrong) jabs for political reasons, a good summary is available at https://youthendowmentfund.org.uk/is-knife-crime-at-record-highs/.By all means have a debate whether Khan is an effective Mayor or not, but base your arguments on facts, not fanciful sensationalisation.  Members of the W4 Forum are not the mugs some contributors seem to think we are, but those contributors seem to be “fact immune”, whatever the subject matter.

T P Howell ● 109d

There’s been cumulatively around 24% inflation in the last six years, so £1.2bn more doesn’t represent much real-terms growth in the budget over that period. A better way of judging the Met’s relative performance is to see how crime in London compares to the rest of England and Wales over the same period. That will account better from the shifts due to COVID as well as relative changes in population. London crime rate has increased from 89.3 to 100.9 reported crimes per 1000 people, or 12% from 2016/7 to 2022/23. For England and Wales the growth is from 74.7 to 93.6 or 25%. Crime has in London grown rather less than half as fast as outside London since 2016/7.

Tom Pike ● 109d

It's good to see you laughing, as a change from your usual bitterness. I didn't say Khan is doing a splendid job. However, I understand perfectly well where you're coming from.  If you hate Khan so much, presumably you are happy to vote for the egregious Susan Hall.

Robert Fish ● 109d

If they can't win an argument they come out with the same old same old.  Seriously don't know why they bother.

Maggie Dodge ● 109d

OMG that made me laugh out loud. Mr Fish you are something special. So you think Mr Khan is doing a splendid job.  You have not issue with his lies and the way he spends money?

Maggie Dodge ● 109d

So knife crime dropped during the pandemic, one thing for which Khan cannot be blamed. However it is shown a year on year increase since and did every year up until 2020 under his mayoralty.No pretext and what a pathetic comment. Knife crime up, PR spend and staff doubled, housing start missed targets by a mile. TfL budget overspend at record levels.  Look..no mention of cars and roads he screwing up enough wihout even mentioning that.

N V Brooks ● 109d

Well observed, PT. But of course knife crime is just a pretext for criticising Khan. The real reason is the angst of the four-wheeled warriors.

Robert Fish ● 109d

Oh dear.  Again, using misleading information to create a false picture.Khan became London Mayor on 9 May 2016.  All recorded knife crime in London in 2017/18 (so before any measures by Khan could take effect) was 14,731, and 14,902 in 2018/2019.  It fell during the pandemic (10,150 in 2020/21 and 11,112 in 2021/22).  In 2023/23 (post pandemic) recorded knife crime in London was 12,786 - so LOWER than when Khan came into office.Importantly, these are statistics for all knife crime, including being found in possession of a knife.  So the statistics are very vulnerable to distortion. For example, if the police are more active in addressing knife crime (searches etc.) then reported crimes may go up, but actual crimes of violence may go down.  And if people lose confidence in the police and enforcement, then reporting may fall.  Against this, the ONS say that reported crime has increased because of better recording by the police.So looking at "Knife crime with injury" (a subset of knife crime, and perhaps a better measure of the true level of violence on the streets) rose by 15% from roughly 4,100 offences in 2010/11 to 4,700 in 2017/18. It has since FALLEN to around 3,600 in 2022/23.  So reported knife crime involving violence has fallen by around 13% since Khan became Mayor.And the Met Police's own statistics (see https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/year-end-crime-statistics-22-23/) show that knife crime has fallen considerably since Khan became Mayor.Reported crime was rising before Khan became mayor.  It dropped back between 2020 and 2022 (the Covid years).  It has risen again since, but is still below pre-Covid levels, and well below the previous trend.I suspect that if increases and declines in knife crime were compared with rises and falls in police numbers, there would be a very close correlation.We know about “lies, damned lies and statistics”, but if you start with the statistics then we have no hope.    Any knife crime is a crime to many.  It does not help to find a solution by political opportunists trying to weaponise a very serious problem for party political gain as we come up to the London Mayoral Elections.

T P Howell ● 109d

Badly managed, overpaid police service. Too much dead wood. Over generous pension scheme.

Steve Taylor ● 109d

From StatistaLondon Police Budget 2023 | StatistaIn 2023/24 the amount budgeted for police services in London was approximately 4.43 billion British pounds.  Over 1.2 BILLION pounds more six years later, so where is it being apportioned by our hapless Mayor?

N V Brooks ● 109d

Khan decides where the budget is apportioned. The blame lays firmly at his feet.

N V Brooks ● 109d

N V Brooks:“ The Met’s budget for 2017-18 is £3.269 billion. 70 per cent of that is provided by the Home Office”https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/london-assembly-publications/police-funding-whos-paying-billHow can Khan decide the budget if 70% comes from Whitehall?Additionally,“ The Met has made £600 million of savings over the past four years and is planning to make another £443 million of savings by 2020-21. The Met does not know yet where £185 million of these savings will come from”Same source.Pretty hard to fight crime when you don’t own the budget of the agency, you have a low number of cops to begin with and you need to save a neat billion. Oh and half the courts have been sold.

Francis Sheehan ● 109d

Khan controls the Met budget. Khan has been selling off Met real estate including New Scotland Yard. Khan has been dictating the 're-tasking' of front line officers. Therefore, the blame lays firmly at his feet.  Greater Manchester Policehas seen another annual reduction in knife crime, as has Scotland oncethe highest area for knife crime per capita in the UK.

N V Brooks ● 109d

Have you heard Khan waffle when questioned by the LA? He’s got stock phrases, mostly he’s “not aware” to avoid answering , or he lies. Provable lies

Maggie Dodge ● 109d

So do we think Khan has his priorities right?

Maggie Dodge ● 109d

And when.numbers are bandied across the House of Commons with the ubiquitous "more than ever before" (what would you expect with a bigger population); the numbers quoted are not like for like because new teenage recruits don't have the equivalent knowledge and experience of the officers they are losing.  Meanwhile unmaintained Govt buildings - including police stations and courts - are still crumbling and unfit for use.

Philippa Bond ● 109d

Between 2010 and 2020, 164 Magistrates courts were closed. This is over a total of 320, so we lost 51% of our courts (they were sold to developers). The South East lost 25.https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/constituency-data-magistrates-court-closures/In 2010, police forces in England and Wales had an FTE (full-time equivalent) of 245,000 officers. In 2017, it went down to 199,000. Now it's risen to 234,000, so still 10,000 down.https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00634/SN00634.pdfIn England and Wales there are 227 police officers per 100,000 people (2021 numbers). https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2021/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2021This is compared to 422 for France, 534 for Spain, 295 in the Netherlands or 293 for Ireland. Even Japan, the sort of country where you can leave your wallet on a table and find it there at your return, has more cops per 100,000 people than England & Wales (235)(the full list is aggregated on Wikipedia but based on local data: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_number_of_police_officers) If you want to blame Khan for the crime, feel free to do so. Personally, I'd rather blame whomever cut down our police forces, sold half our courthouses and thinks that half the police presence of our neighbours won't lead to more crime. In other words, the party that has been in power for the last 13 years.

Francis Sheehan ● 109d

A very old , nonsense saying, pointless saying, pointless post. Hardly Mensa material

Maggie Dodge ● 110d

Wasn't Paddington a stow away?

Philippa Bond ● 110d

Frankly I wouldn’t put anything past Khan and I’m not joking. Give someone like that power,  and you’re asking for trouble . No morals and in charge so money and people . Heaven help us that he gets in again

Maggie Dodge ● 110d

“He has encouraged immigration”Emma, pray tell, HOW exactly can the Mayor encourage immigration when, last I checked, he has no control over border policy, issue visas, manages the Border Force?Immigration is a Westminster prerogative and thus falls under the remit of the 6 Tory PMs we had in the last 13 years, or the busload of Home Secretaries we had in the same span of time.Unless you seriously believe Khan is Whatsapping people to get on a boat (and then he’s piloting said boat), in which case I’ve got a monorail to sell ya.

Francis Sheehan ● 110d

"He like many others who impose their climate nonsense on us must never be allowed to fly." That should include EVERYONE then!  Just look at the amounts the Govt says Climate Change is going to cost us all.  Shame it took so many of them so long to do much about it (apart from trying to make themselves as rich as possible).  The UK Govt has said that Climate Change is predicted to be going to cost us all 50 Billion a year by 2050 and the Govt Climate Change Committee says that they are not doing enough about it...https://thecorrespondent.com/6285/shell-made-a-film-about-climate-change-in-1991-then-neglected-to-heed-its-own-warning/692663565-875331f6#:~:text=Climate%20of%20Concern%2C%20a%201991,uniquely%20broad%20consensus%20of%20scientists.%22

Philippa Bond ● 110d

Brits are not in the minority.  Based on last census 40.6% of Londoners were born outside of the UK and of course some of them would have born to British parents.I assume that when the post stated "so Brits are now the minority in London" they meant whites are in the minority (which is true) but so what, to be British is to be an amalgam of many different peoples and this has been true for over 1500 years

Justin Stephenson ● 110d

Sri Lanka, Iran Peru, it happens, Err Wonder Why.

Janice Evans ● 110d

If you believe that, then you will believe anything

Richard Atterwill ● 110d

Worrying as when people's common liberties and opportunities are being denied or stifled by public authority it usually leads to an uprising.

Janice Evans ● 110d

No can’t accept smart. Conniving , cunning, lacking empathy I could go on. He like many others who impose their climate nonsense on us must never be allowed to fly. Flying to a climate conference is just stupid.https://www.facebook.com/reel/1446978676028115?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Maggie Dodge ● 111d

Sadiq is smarter than he looks. Or perhaps more cunning. He has encouraged immigration - legal and other - so Brits are now the minority in London - the mayor knows he gets the majority of votes from the new majority - end result is a mess IMO.

Emma Elizabeth ● 111d

I voted for Zac Steve thought he would have been good.

Janice Evans ● 111d

The gentleman in last evening's QT audience got it absolutely right;He said if a youngster's warped mind intends to inflict fatal injury on another, all he needs to do is walk into his kitchen and pick up the sharpest blade around.No need to look up the internet to find a bigger, meaner weapon.

Denis I. Fox ● 111d

So we keep the lying crackpot we’ve got? How does that compute

Maggie Dodge ● 111d

The free market in buying anything and everything off the internet - dangerous or not - banned or not - has a lot to answer for.

Philippa Bond ● 111d

I didn’t think Zac Goldsmith was lacklustre was he?

Steve Taylor ● 112d

'Bout time we all got off our backsides and voted then,eh?.

Keith Iddon ● 112d

Time and time again the Tories put up really lacklustre candidates

N V Brooks ● 112d

He'll get in again. Have you seen the crackpot the Tories have put up to run against him?

Brian Green ● 112d

between 40/50%I see this time those in favour of ulez and those against ulez will go and vote. And everyone else in part wont bother given the frustration with central GVMT and a general election coming.Most have had enough

Julian Pavey ● 112d

Anyone have any idea what the average turnout for a mayoral election is?

Keith Iddon ● 112d

And he will get voted in again because it’s the will of the people of London.

Steve Taylor ● 112d

You can't blame Khan for knife crime because he won't accept anything coming his way. He won't talk about it because he has no clue as to what needs to be done. And I take it others don't either He has twice not long ago given his idea in reducing knife crime. He believes working with phone manufacturers to make a stolen phone redundant is the answer. Well, that's his only idea as if knife crime is all about stealing mobile phones. And he will repeat that idea if pressed for an answer he can't dodge As I said, he has no idea and is clueless about how to resolve issues so don't ask him. If he does respond, it's others that are to blame. That the norm with him

Julian Pavey ● 112d

The 50% plus increase in knife crime in London for this period is alarming but sadly it mirrors a similar increase across England and Wales. Therefore, it is probably more reasonable to assume that factors such as real terms reduction in spending on the police and fall in officer numbers has more to do with this rise than anything Sadiq Khan has done.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 112d

Just posted that he’s been caught out yet again, by LA on the £30m  he said was not the right figure, but it is. They just flow out of him

Maggie Dodge ● 112d