The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a £2 million investment in the London Gang Exit programme. 

Sadiq’s aim is to tackle the root cause of violent crimes to try to prevent any future deaths.

The London Gang Exit programme was created to be able to help a gang member or someone who can be recruited. They will receive professional help ranging from mental health to substance misuse to finding a new home and even a job.

Referrals can be made by a teacher, police officer, care workers, and probation officers.

Below is a list of actions he plans to enforce:

Boosting police power

The Mayor plans to create a violent crime task force that will consist of 120 officers. The Met Police have also  introduced targeted patrols with extra stop and search powers to the areas most affected by knife crime. The Mayor is investing £110m in to the Met Police in order to protect the number of front line Police officers on London streets.

Preventing future violence

The Mayor created the young Londoners fund in February, spending £45m to steer young teens away from crime. Schools in London have knife wands now available to keep students safe. City Hall works with the police, charities and councils on two programmes aimed at ending and preventing gang violence and exploitation, working with victims and young people at risk.

Action plans under way

The Mayor has published a new Knife Crime Strategy, to tackle knife crime, taking in views from bereaved families and victims. Every London borough now has its own knife crime action plan to tackle violence locally, created in partnership with the Met

City Hall summit

Politicians from across political parties and the capital are being invited to City Hall to be briefed by the Mayor and Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick about the action being taken against the current spate of violence.

Not everyone completely agrees with The Mayor’s decision. Some feel that he should pay the same amount of attention to other crimes. Where as others feel it is a good idea.