To think a state of emergency or curfew is needed across the London Boroughs

[Debbiediva]

This weekend there has been 4 murders, today so far there has been 4 shootings in Waterloo, Tulse Hill, Camden and Leytonstone as well as a 15 year old stabbed yesterday. On Saturday night there was a mob of 100 people attacking police in Stratford.

Without blaming Sadiq Khan can we all agree this is only getting worse and worse something dramatic has to be done now. I agree that the Glasgow approach is necessary whereby violence is treated as a health epidemic with prevention in schools, but this approach takes time, we need to save lives now. AIBU

Definitely not. 99.9% of Londoners are just going about their everyday business without causing any harm. Why should they be subject to a curfew? More police on the streets and a rounded education programme are needed, along with a big increase of youth groups etc that keep young people off the streets and have been subject to massive cut-backs over the past few years. Obviously, an increase in funding for all these things is essential.

How do you propose a curfew will work in a city that barely sleeps?

No. I think the govt needs to fund our police properly.

Section 60s are in force round my way - and I live in a reasonably nice area.

Absolutely not. The deaths at the weekend are a dreadful tragedy for those killed and their families and more should and could be done to address the complex causes, but London is still objectively a very safe place - safer than all major US cities according to this link . Possibly the stats are a bit dubious but there is no arguing that if you are a 'normal' Londoner going about your business and not involved in gangs or other criminal activity you are very very unlikely to be stabbed.

A curfew would be disastrous for a number of reasons

(a) the impact and curtailment of liberty for ordinary law abiding citizens, a unprecedented extension of the powers of the state to curtail the basic rights citizens have enjoyed for 100s of years
(b) economic input on the many businesses which rely on night trade, keeping the capital going, even a few days/weeks of curfew would probably bankrupt half the capital's pubs, restaurants, corner shops etc.
(c) massive diversion of police resources from addressing the actual crime into checking/stopping people out on the streets at night
(d) would further marginalise and divide communities and young people

Sorry, its a bad idea and will never happen. If you want to self-impose a curfew and avoid the streets at night, and encourage your young people to do the same, knock yourself out. For me I don't think its necessary but each to their own...

BTW -when are you ahving your curfew? The boy in Plumstead was shot at 5pm.

Yabu to think a curfew would
a) Work
b) Be observed or enforceable
c) Not be a totally unreasonable imposition on the 99% of ordinary people who have done nothing wrong.

I blame this government and people who voted Tory - and the criminals of course.

No.

There’s not enough resources to enforce a curfew and it’ll make matters much much worse.

Do you live in London, OP?