Neil Garratt's City Hall Diary - two positive police stories to start the year
Croydon has made huge strides to tackle serious youth violence, while London-wide the new Met Commissioner shows a thoughtful seriousness of purpose on complex issues
Hello, and a happy new year to you, I have two police and crime topics in this issue, both positive news to start the year.
Zero youth murders in Croydon last year, how the turnaround?
Sir Mark Rowley does nuance.
First a bit of housekeeping: I’ve had to change my newsletter system from Revue to Substack, after Revue’s owner Twitter suddenly announced they’re closing it and deleting everything. You shouldn’t notice any change but if it looks a bit different, that’ll be why.
2022: a Year of Zero Youth Murders in Croydon
In 2021, Croydon gained an unwelcome reputation as London’s knife crime capital after a series of youth murders. But throughout 2022 the number stayed firmly at zero. What changed?
On Friday 30th I had my last work appointment of 2022: a youth event at Heart of Gaming in Croydon to celebrate that success and to acknowledge the work of everyone who made it happen. From police and schools, youth workers and mentors, council, probation, faith groups and each one of those young people who chose not to carry a weapon. It’s an amazing turnaround.
But has something really changed or did we just get lucky? That’s an awkward but important question. I’ve seen some of the work first hand and had honest conversations with many of the people involved. While there is inevitably a bit of luck, I believe something really has changed for the better and not simply that there are more police officers.
Beneath Croydon’s headline zero youth homicide figure, attempted homicide is also down, as are knife offences - lower youth violence numbers across the board. In a world of bad news and a national mood that everything’s awful and only getting worse, it’s great to highlight where people are making a difference and things are getting better. Long may it continue.
I discussed this in more depth in this week’s Inside City Hall podcast, Series 2 Episode 7.
This Sky News report also covers what’s been going on, as does this MyLondon news write-up.
The heart of this problem is that there’s no solving violent crime without the police, but the police cannot succeed without the trust and confidence of the community they serve.
Populist ideas such as Sadiq Khan declaring in the 2016 election campaign “I’d do everything in my power to cut stop and search”, did not help:
But equally, you can’t hard-line enforce your way to low crime if the police tactics simply create more mistrust, more resentment, and more “wall of silence”. As the old slogan had it, Crime: Together We’ll Crack It.
The approach pioneered here, now often known as “The Croydon Model”, involves slow and mostly unsung work building mutual trust, adapting not abandoning police techniques, and diverting young people into better life choices. All that can seem unpromising or even futile, but when we’ve had a whole year without a Croydon school needing a minute’s silence for one of its pupils, the results speak for themselves.
Sir Mark Rowley does nuance
On a similar theme, I continue to be impressed by the thoughtful way that new Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley engages with complex questions about crime in London. Words alone can’t solve a problem, but when the man at the top gets what’s wrong and sticks to his guns, that’s a big step forward.
I’d like to share this video with you from the London Assembly in December. The City Hall Green Party Leader tries to put him on the spot with figures implying that the police are racist in their use of powers, followed by an emotive appeal to cease intrusive searches on children.
I think it’s worth watching to hear some familiar talking points met with a serious, thoughtful, and measured response. Sir Mark painted an honest picture of what the Met Police have got wrong, what they’ve got right, and what they’re up against in trying to keep Londoners safe. Complex social problems don’t boil down to snappy slogans.
He points out that when people talk about racial disproportionality, rarely do they mention that young black men are 12 times more likely to be murdered than young white men. But he is tasked with that problem. And while it’s natural that people worry about police using intrusive powers on children, alas it is children who are too often both the victims and the perpetrators of serious violence.
As in Croydon, the only way we’ll reduce crime in London is by the combination of taking people’s concerns seriously, while supporting police to use powers to catch criminals and drive down crime. Because in the end everyone is on the same side.
Well, everyone except the criminals.
For more City Hall news, you can also listen to the Inside City Hall podcast which I co-host with my fellow Assembly Member Nick Rogers.
Start and keep starting
Finally since it’s January, here’s a bonus tip that might help with your new year’s resolutions. If you struggle with procrastination or how to tackle a big project, here’s the best advice I’ve ever had: don’t fret about finishing, just focus on starting. Start, keep on starting, and the finishing will take care of itself.
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