Mayor of London Sadiq Khan calls summit on violent crime as 300 extra police officers hit the streets

The mayor of London has called a meeting with the home secretary Amber Rudd as well as London MPs, council leaders and assembly members over violent crime as an extra 300 Met Police officers were deployed across the city.

Sadiq Khan arranged the City Hall summit for Tuesday after six people were killed in the capital in the past week.

Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick, who will also attend the briefing, has said the force has “not lost control” of the capital’s streets despite the slew of recent knife attacks.

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Khan, said he knew Londoners, including politicians, were determined to “end this violent scourge”.

“Keeping Londoners safe is my top priority and I want to reassure everyone that we’re doing everything we can,” he said.

The mayor, who has faced criticism for not acting quickly enough, is looking to outline plans to prevent crime in the short and long-term with the help of local MPs and council leaders.

In an interview with the BBC today, Khan backed the use of “targeted” stop-and-search in London, saying it was an “invaluable tool” for officers.

Earlier this year, Khan announced he would plug government cuts to the police with millions of funding from property taxes.

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