CITY OF HATE: More than one in five Londoners attacked or threatened in past five years…

Nearly one in four Londoners have been attacked or threatened with violence in the last five years, a shock new poll has found.

Research by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) found around 2 million people had fallen victim to violence or been threatened in the period.

The shocking number comes as analysis shows that violence in London cost taxpayers around £7 billion in 2023.

The polling, commissioned by the CSJ and conducted by Survation, revealed that a tenth of Londoners know someone who has had an illegal gun and worryingly nine per cent believe it would be possible to get one themselves.

One in ten people feel at risk of crime from knife and gun wielding gang members.

More than half of those surveyed want the police to be on foot and accessible in their local area more often.

Almost two thirds of respondents also said they support the power of police to use stop and search.

The results come as more teenage homicides were recorded in London in 2023 than the year before.

More broadly, in England and Wales, almost 18 per cent of knife and weapon offences resulting in a caution or conviction were committed by children aged 10-17.

The CSJ’s report, Serious Violence in London, also found crime disproportionately affects the poorest, with 40 per cent more crimes recorded in in the poorest areas compared to the richest areas.

Nikita Malik at the Centre for Social Justice, said:’With nearly one in four Londoners attacked or threatened with violence in the last five years, it’s hardly surprising they are demanding more from the police. They want them to be more visible and more proactive: conducting stop and search, involved in schools and sports clubs, and part of London’s communities.’