Mayor calls for war on gun crime

Ken Livingstone today declared war on the armed drug gangs fuelling the "black on black" crimewave. Amid warnings that criminals engaged in the crack cocaine market are now responsible for two shootings a day on London's streets, the Mayor has issued a rallying cry to the police and the capital's communities.

He is to tell borough police commanders, council officials and religious leaders that far-reaching action must begin now to stop young people drifting into gun crime.

Addressing a conference on Operation Trident, the Met's initiative to address "black on black" crime, the Mayor will say: "We have witnessed a huge escalation in gun crime in London and the statistics shock us all."

He hails the "unprecedented" bravery of officers in Trident: "You have achieved successes in terms of arresting gunmen and removing their weapons from our streets."

But his strongest message relates to the idea that communities that help police fight the gangsters can make a difference. "I want to pay tribute to those black heroes who have built a partnership with the police within their community and said, 'Enough is enough'. Their contribution and courage needs to be recognised because they continue to live in those areas where Trident crimes are most prevalent."

He calls for massive investment in the pockets of poverty in areas like east London. Ambitious schemes like CrossRail are essential. "If we are to avoid the violent drift down the path travelled by so many American cities, London must be allowed to keep more of the money it generates," he says.

Mr Livingstone also wants new efforts to stop black youths being excluded from school. They have been identified as the group fuelling the rise in gun and street crime. "If the last time a young black male sees the inside of a classroom is the age of 12 then we are preparing for, not only the possibility of a life of crime, but in some cases the inevitability of it," he says.

In the first 15 days of this year, police recorded 25 shooting incidents in addition to a double murder. Last year, the Trident squad recovered 78 firearms ranging from almost hand-built weapons to sophisticated submachine guns. Twenty-one black men were shot dead while there were 67 attempted murders and 80 shootings resulting in minor injury or criminal damage. A total of 441 people were arrested and 620 kilos of drugs, mostly cocaine and heroin, were seized.

Commander Alan Brown, head of Operation Trident, says there is an urgent need to find "safe houses" for witnesses to gun crime. He warns that 30 of London's 32 boroughs having been involved in cases handled by Operation Trident.

Pupil power crime line