Hundreds of police are needed to tackle a 14 per cent rise in domestic violence offences, Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey said today.
He claimed that he could fund 500 extra officers in safeguarding units by cutting waste at City Hall.
There were 89,103 domestic abuse offences — 244 a day — in 2019, compared with 78,124 two years ago, according to new Met Police figures.
A study by the charity Women’s Aid said women in the capital experience higher rates of repeated victimisation and are much more likely to be seriously hurt. However, domestic homicides nearly halved from 27 in 2018 to 15 last year.
Mr Bailey, who will challenge Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan in May, said: “Too many people in London are falling victim to these offences with women and girls bearing the brunt of these disgusting crimes.
“We need an urgent solution to this rising evil which is why I will immediately invest additional resources into growing safeguarding units across London. By having specialist officers on the ground... more crimes will be resolved, preventive work can be undertaken, and more victims can be encouraged to come forward. Pressure will be taken off existing personnel, creating a more dynamic force for good across London. Making London safe is an absolute priority of mine.”
Mr Bailey hopes the proposed extra officers will increase the effectiveness of safeguarding units and improve the willingness of victims to come forward.
He claims £15.4 million saved at a “bloated” City Hall could be spent on detectives.
A spokesman for the Mayor said: “Sadiq is standing up for all Londoners with his plan to be both tough on crime and tough on the underlying causes of crime.”
