Knife crime: Why Sadiq Khan’s moral cowardice is killing Londoners, says Martin Daubney

Knife crime in London often reduces me to tears. So it was this month, when 15-year-old Elianne Andam was stabbed to death on her way to school in Croydon. In that moment, every London parent sees their own child; the incomprehensible horror of premature loss too much to bear.

I’ve lived in London for 28 years, but the past two years have been truly tragic. Several times now, I’ve had to walk my own young children past murder sites in my neighbourhood, and explain to them why people have laid flowers in parks, or on street corners.

In that moment, a part of their innocence is forever lost. Their fear, palpable, grows – as does my own impotence in the face of such wonton barbarity. But, always, the emotion that soon engulfs me is anger, at the man I see as responsible for the systemic failing of law and order on London’s streets – its Mayor, Sadiq Khan.

Yesterday, I compiled a photo montage of the teenagers who’ve been murdered in 2023, and was struck by an unavoidable truth. I’ve included that picture here.

You can’t escape the fact that, of the 17 dead, 14 are from BAME and 11 from Black backgrounds. Which immediately begs the questions: What’s going on? And what can – and should – be done?

Remember: Facts aren’t racist. And the facts, released by the London Assembly, are that while black people make up 13% of London’s population, they make up 45% of London’s knife murder victims and 61% of knife murder perpetrators.

That means in London, tragically black people are around five times more likely to stab somebody to death, and three and a half times more likely to be stabbed to death.

We hear from Sadiq Khan all the time that black lives matter. In fact, his official website recently declared a photograph of a young white family” 'Doesn't represent real Londoners'.

Yet on the disproportionate, over-representation of black people in knife crime statistics – both in the morgue and in prisons – he’s been conspicuously silent. Why?

Often on GB News, I robustly debate soaring knife crime – and what can be done to stamp out this plague. On GB News Saturday last week, I grasped the nettle with Ken Hinds, Chair of Haringey's Independent Stop and Search Monitoring Group and former Met Cop Peter Bleksley. We all agreed the current “touchy-feely” approach to talking knife crime is mortally failing.

Knife crime: 'Wait until TRAGEDY happens' Ken Hinds encourages PROACTIVE measures over reactive

Peter Bleksley was so moved by Taye Faik’s murder, he tweeted: “Savages on our streets. When will the @metpolieuk realise that their fluffy, woke, obsession with ‘community engagement’ is failing Londoners, and what we need and deserve is robust, proactive, effective action against this murderous scum”

I’d go a stage further. In London, the Mayor is the equivalent of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and is responsible for the totality of policing in the capital. The buck stops with Khan.

Yet with every murder, all we seem to get from Khan are “thoughts and prayers”. Last month, to tackle knife crime, he threw £3.4million at after school clubs. Today, he demanded that Suella Braverman ban zombie knives and machetes.

But what he really needs to do, is get tough on the same “communities” he’s soft-soaped since he first got elected.

Savages on our streets. When will @metpoliceuk realise that their fluffy, woke, and pathetic obsession with ‘community engagement’, is failing us Londoners, and what we need and deserve is robust, proactive, effective action against this murderous scum.
https://t.co/cW4ghfwwxF

— Peter Bleksley (@PeterBleksley) October 2, 2023

Let’s start with the thorny topic of stop and search. Cops know it works, but “community” representatives often claim black people are six times more likely to be stopped and searched – and that’s true.

But when you look at the facts – that black people are statistically more likely to stab or be stabbed – could you not make the argument that where some cry “racism,” others might point out it’s targeted policing?

If Sadiq Khan were a true leader, he’d launch a full, open and independent enquiry into knife crime in London. (Incidentally, the Conservative Mayor of Birmingham, Andy Street, which has a near-identical problem with knife crime, should do the same).

Nothing should be off the table: Why in particular knife crime is affecting the black community, fatherlessness, drug abuse, county lines gangs, postcode wars, the glorification of violence in grime music, poor educational attainment, lack of respect for law and order, etc – the full, warts-and-all picture.

Of course, it won’t happen. In 2015, in his inaugural campaign to get elected into City Hall, Khan vowed: “I’d do everything in my power to cut stop and search,” adding: “Overuse of stop and search can have a dramatic effect on communities. It undermines public confidence in our police “.

Too afraid to stare the truth in the eyes by pandering to liberals, charities, the establishment media, the Linekerites, race grifters and the whole rotten, politically correct establishment, Khan has blood on his hands.

More than anything, Khan’s abject failure on tackling knife crime proves that black lives don’t really matter to him. All he cares about are votes. The price we all pay for his shameful silence are the bodies piling up on London’s streets.