Over one in five Londoners have been attacked or threatened with violence in the last five years, a poll has found.
Research conducted by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) found that 22 per cent of Londoners had been physically attacked or threatened.
The poll, which surveyed 1,000 people, revealed of those attacks, in nearly six out of 10 cases (57 per cent), the perpetrators were males.
Respondents also they knew someone who possessed, or had possessed, an illegal firearm and nine per cent said they believed it would be possible for them to get a hold of such a weapon for themselves.
Research conducted by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) found that 22 per cent of Londoners had been physically attacked or threatened in the last five years
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One in 10 people surveyed feel at risk of crime from knife and gun-wielding gang members.
The research, conducted by Survation, also revealed that over 50 per cent of people want the police to be more accessible in the local area.
Almost two-thirds of pollsters also said they support the power of police to use stop and search.
Previous data from the CSJ revealed that the number of stop and searches had fallen from 319,490 to 179,677 in the same period.
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The same research, released in December 2023, also showed that knife crime had steadily increased by 30 per cent since the pandemic in 2020.
The figures come after analysis from the CSJ showed that violence in London cost taxpayers around £7billion in 2023.
This is more than double the £3billion calculated in a report commissioned by Sadiq Khan’s violence reduction unit back in 2019.
Nikita Malik at CSJ said: “With nearly one in four Londoners attacked or threatened with violence in the last five years, it’s hardly surprising they are demanding more from the police.
One in 10 people surveyed feel at risk of crime from knife and gun-wielding gang members
PA“They want them to be more visible and more proactive: conducting stop and search, involved in schools and sports clubs, and part of London’s communities.”
Emily Wells, a former police officer and now a researcher at the CSJ, said: “It is often the families of victims and perpetrators who want police to be more visible on the streets, more involved in communities, and on the ground delivering preventative programmes such as sports interventions and initiatives run from schools.”
The report concluded that the Government should continue to use stop and search to prevent crime and forces should regularly release findings of stop and search to improve confidence in the police.
A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan said: “This Mayoral election is a clear choice between Sadiq investing in more police officers and youth clubs in London, or the hard-right Tory candidate who has backed huge cuts to London’s vital public services.
“Sadiq is investing a record £151M in this year’s budget for policing and crime prevention. He has also pledged to deliver an additional 1,300 police in London if re-elected.
“Meanwhile the Tory candidate for Mayor has backed £1bn cuts to the Met police in real terms since 2010, and supported £1bn of cuts to youth services across the county. Tory cuts that are having a devastating impact on the vital support communities can provide."
