Originally published here.

MAYOR OF London, Sadiq Khan has today announced a series of measures to support 100,000 more young Londoners to help them stay away from violence.

The announcement comes as new analysis from City Hall reveals several complex factors, including poverty and unemployment, are driving youth violence in London.

The data also shows violent crime is having a disproportionate impact on young Black Londoners and Black teenage boys are six times more likely to be killed by violence than white boys in the capital.

Structural racism

In an interview with The Voice, the Mayor said what is happening on the streets is a reflection of “the impact of systemic and structural racism.”

He said: “Violence is having a disproportionate impact on young black Londoners who are overrepresented, both as victims and as offenders, and that is because they tend to live in communities where there is higher poverty, higher deprivation and higher levels of unemployment.”

The Mayor told The Voice that he is concerned about the number of young black men in London, who are not able to reach their full potential. He said he plans to support this specific group in finding meaningful work and sustainable careers through his Workforce Integration Network (WIN), which was launched in 2018.

“Too many young black men are not getting the jobs that they deserve, and this Workforce Integration Network, means that we are supporting black men in London to get better paid jobs in future-proof sectors like manufacturing, construction and IT” he said. “We want to make sure they have a ladder of opportunity rather than being sucked into criminal gangs.”

The new research City Hall released today, shows that all 10 of the boroughs with the highest rates of victims of serious violence, also have higher rates of child poverty than the London average.

The findings demonstrated the link between high rates of unemployment and levels of violence, and City Hall analysis reveals the pandemic has exacerbated the factors that put young people at risk of becoming involved in, or a victim of, violence, by pushing more young Londoners into unemployment and poverty.

For example, Universal Credit claims have risen by nearly 130 per cent – with the highest increases in the top five boroughs for rates of serious youth violence. 

The Mayor set up London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) – the first in England – to deliver programmes that support young Londoners through education, training and help into employment.

Today he announced that over the course of the next 12 months, City Hall and the VRU will be delivering a combined package of measures that will support almost 100,000 more young Londoners.

‘Hyper local’

The new “hyper local initiative” called MyEnds, will be set up in eight areas across London, to give young people real opportunities in education, sports and culture.

Khan told The Voice, tackling youth violence remains a priority and said there will be higher police presence around the city during the festive season.

He added: “During the course of the next few weeks, Londoners in these communities where there are higher levels of violence – which is linked to poverty – will see additional police officers to make sure we suppress violence, but also these communities will see increased investment from City Hall.”

The Mayor said City Hall is taking action but called for a robust effort from the government, the police and other sectors to tackle the “root causes” of knife crime.

‘Needless violence’

He said: “There are deep-rooted issues of poverty, high unemployment, school exclusions, poor mental health, lack of youth services, racism and the negative use of social media and these things have been made worse by the pandemic and that is why it is so important we persuade the government to also step up as well.”

While delivering a major speech at The Black Prince Community Trust in Lambeth, this morning, the Mayor said “every death as a result of this needless violence is an utter tragedy.”

“It leaves lives destroyed and families grieving, it tears communities apart, fuels fear and deprives our city of so much talent” he said.

You can read the complete article here.