Under Sadiq Khan’s leadership, the London Violence Reduction Unit, established in 2019, has began important work to reduce violence, including knife and gun crime, in Lambeth and Southwark. This includes funding and supporting inspirational projects and organisations based in Brixton and other parts of my constituency.

Violent crime is preventable, but this can only be achieved by creating positive opportunities for young people and tackling the underlying causes of crime. This will not be quick or easy, and needs a long term strategy. Yet, currently the Government will only fund VRUs one year at a time making it impossible to plan long-term interventions. Last month, I called on the Minister to provide the multi-year sustainable funding needed for the VRU to succeed>>