A new report has laid bare a shocking rise in knife crime in London in the last three years.
The report, commissioned by Policy Exchange, showed a 58.5 per cent increase in the number of knife crime offences between 2021 and 2024.
This rise was partially down to the ultra-concentrated nature of knife crime in the capital.
In 2024, an area of only 20 streets in London's West End had knife crime than nearly 15 per cent of the rest capital combined.
Shockingly, the report says only 1 in 20 robberies and 1 in 170 "theft person" crimes in the capital were solved last year in a devastating blow for police and Londoners.
Responding to the report, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "The 'zero-tolerance' approach advocated within this report is one that I support – it will closely inform my policy thinking in this area."
Labour MP for Pendle and Clitheroe and former Metropolitan Police Inspector Jonathan Hinder said: "Our criminal justice system has been left utterly broken, and we urgently need to properly resource our courts and prisons if we are to restore public faith that justice is being done.
"In the meantime, the law-abiding public want a strong police force to have the confidence to take on criminals, and it’s time for politicians of all colours to give the police their full backing to do just that."
The report goes on to highlight a 'dangerously lax approach' to tackling prolific criminals.
'Hyper-prolific offenders' with 46 or more previous convictions are sent to prison on less than half of all occasions on conviction for an indictable or either-way offence, leading to just 4,555 people walking free in 2024.
'Super-prolific offenders', with 26 to 45 previous offences, will be sent to prison only 42.1 per cent of the time.
Over a third of those caught carrying a knife repeatedly will not receive a term of immidiate custody in prison, despite there being 'mandatory' sentencing provisions.
Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham Margaret Mullane said: "London is in the grip of a public safety crisis.
"Robbery, knife attacks, and phone thefts have become routine, yet while street crime surges, the criminal justice system has faltered.
"This hard-hitting report from Policy Exchange exposes the scale of the problem and sets out clearly where things must change. Every Londoner deserves to feel safe, and this report shows how we get there."
