Sadiq Khan: The Dark Side Of The Police. How Safe Are We REALLY? | E216

Khan argues you must simultaneously 'be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime.' That means more officers, intelligence-led stop and search, weapon sweeps and serious sentencing, but also investment in youth clubs, mentors, education and tackling deprivation, alienation and inequality. He likens crime to an infection: you treat it, stop it spreading, and prevent it from occurring in the first place.

Since 2010 there have been roughly 21,000 fewer police officers across England and Wales, alongside widespread closures of youth clubs and after-school programs. Khan links rising serious violence since 2013 to these cuts, insisting he’s 'not excusing it, I’m explaining it.' In London he has raised council tax and used business rates to fund about 1,300 extra officers, reopen youth services, and create schemes like the Young Londoners Fund and a large-scale mentoring programme.

Using the cases of Sarah Everard and David Carrick, Khan says there are 'systemic cultural issues' in the Met, including vetting failures and a culture that tolerated abusers. He forced out the previous Commissioner over lack of grip, backed an independent review by Louise Casey, and is pushing for rule changes so it’s easier to sack 'dodgy officers.' He’s funding improved vetting, an anti-abuse and corruption unit, and hotlines for whistleblowers, arguing you 'can’t mark your own homework.'

Although homicides, knife crime, gun crime and teenage homicides have fallen in London under his tenure, Khan accepts many people still feel unsafe: 'If you don’t feel it’s safe, it’s not safe.' He highlights that women impose 'curfews on themselves,' and says tackling both the reality and perception of safety is central to his agenda. He compares London’s risk profile to global cities like New York and Chicago rather than Dubai or Bali, while acknowledging that emotional experiences like burglaries heavily shape fear of crime.

Khan links Donald Trump’s attacks on him and far-right threats to his identity as a Muslim mayor, noting even terrorists like the Christchurch and Finsbury Park attackers referenced him. He receives sustained racist and Islamophobic abuse and death threats online, serious enough to require police protection and new support systems for City Hall staff traumatized by the hate they process. He worries this deters young Muslims from public life but refuses to 'cower' or signal that abusers have affected him.