London mayor Sadiq Khan says ‘zero murder’ target is ‘not realistic’

Proposal was put forward by Green Party earlier this month

London mayor Sadiq Khan has ruled out committing to a target of "zero murders" in the capital within 10 years if he is elected for a second term.

The proposal was put forward by the Green Party candidate Sian Berry earlier this month ahead of the 6 May contest to elect London’s next mayor.

Speaking to reporters while out in London on Friday, Mr Khan said it was important to be "ambitious" in tackling crime.

But he said he is keen to be "realistic" in terms of what can be achieved to reduce the capital's murder rate, which has exceeded 100 for the past six years.

"I’m also keen not to give people false hope," Mr Khan added. "We are a global city. On an average day, we have more than 10 million people in London."

The incumbent mayor also said he was unsure how many more police officers he would be able to recruit if he is returned to City Hall.

London has seen an increase in the number of officers on its streets after a 2019 government pledge to provide an additional 20,000 officers over a three-year period.

Mr Khan said how many more officers the capital gets depends on "how successful we are negotiating the third year of the 20,000 officer deal."

He added: "The bad news is that the government has only given us around 1,300 in the first two years."

Mr Khan said he and the Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick had agreed that London should get 6,000 out of the 20,000 officers committed in the 2019 pledge.

The Conservative candidate for mayor and Mr Khan’s main rival, Shaun Bailey, earlier this week pledged to "double foot patrols" and cut crime within his first 100 days.

Announcing her “zero murder” target pledge earlier this month, Ms Berry also said she would boost funding for youth services and early intervention schemes.

She also vowed to expand the Violence Reduction Unit set up under Mr Khan.