Stop And Search Cut Violent Crime In London, Police Say

3 May 2019, 08:45 | Updated: 3 May 2019, 08:56

Figures show number of killings and stabbings of under-25s in London fell last year.
Figures show number of killings and stabbings of under-25s in London fell last year. Picture: PA

Britain's top cop credited the increasing use of controversial stop and search powers with driving down violence in London.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said a 30% increase in the use of stop and search was responsible for driving down violent crime in the capital.

The Commissioner was speaking at Scotland Yard as new figures revealed killings in the capital were down by a quarter and injuries from stabbings among the under 25s was down by 15%.

Ms Dick was speaking just hours after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death and a 16-year-old boy injured in Hackney, east London.

Referring to the most recent death, she said: "The figures, put into the context of what happened overnight, can seem rather bald and cold and unemotional.

"Each death is absolutely ghastly. Each young man stabbed is a horrible thing for them, their family, friends and community and for the person who did the stabbing, often it wrecks their lives as well."

Commissioner Cressida Dick was speaking as new crime figures were released.
Commissioner Cressida Dick was speaking as new crime figures were released. Picture: PA

Ms Dick said there had been 172,000 stop and searches in the last year which had proven "very effective" and resulted in the confiscation of knives and guns every day.

She added:  "I am confident that we will continue to step up our efforts and continue to make real inroads into these pernicious crimes."

Ms Dick said the reasons for the drop in violent crime were complex, but the drugs markets were a "big problem".

She said: "There is a large demand, there is big money to be made and there is a lot of fights going on between drug gangs. Those young people have either been the victim or the offender or both.

"But there is a whole range of other issues that have played into this. I believe we are suppressing the violence. That has absolutely, definitely resulted in the reduction."

Over the past 12 months, there were 122 homicides recorded by the Met, with 32 fewer victims than the period before, excluding the nine killed in terrorist attacks in 2017.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Music-Green Day UN

Green Day to headline UN-backed global climate concert

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza

Exclusive
Starmer has vowed to resurrect Boris Johnson's 'Levelling Up' policy

Failure to ‘level up’ Britain would be ‘catastrophic’, Wes Streeting admits, as Starmer vows to resurrect Johnson policy

Border Force staff will walk out from April 11

Hundreds of Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport to stage four-day strike

Stephen Bear was ordered to pay Ms Harrison £5,000.

Disgraced reality TV star Stephen Bear ordered to pay £27,000 over revenge porn conviction or face nine months in jail

Sam Bankman-Fried

FTX founder Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for crypto fraud

Exclusive
Covid no excuse for death of Finley Boden who was murdered by drug-addled parents, child protection chief says

Covid no excuse for death of Finley Boden who was murdered by drug-addled parents, child protection chief says

Israel Palestinians UN Security Council

Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto

France Valentino

Former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele named Valentino creative director

Know your limits this summer, Brits have been warned

‘Know your limits’: Brits heading to the Euros this summer warned against drinking ‘too much German beer’

Russia Shooting

Russia arrests another suspect in concert hall attack that killed 143

Sam Bankman-Fried has been jailed for 25 years for a $8bn crypto fraud

'Crypto King' Sam Bankman-Fried jailed for 25 years for stealing billions of dollars from his customers

Michael Gove has been urged to 'get on with' passing the rental reforms

Ministers accused of making 'major concessions to landlords' after renters reforms 'watered down'

Supermarket opening times for Easter 2024: Trading hour revealed for Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi

Supermarket opening times for Easter 2024: Trading hours revealed for Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi

It is believed the litter picking tool was mistaken for a firearm, Northumbria Police said

Schools locked down by police after litter picker mistaken for firearm

Lewes prison

Medical incident declared at Lewes prison after several inmates hospitalised with food poisoning