London mayor election 2021: Shaun Bailey pledges to cut crime 'in 100 days'

Shaun Bailey said London risks "going from the Covid pandemic to a crime epidemic"

The Conservative mayoral candidate for London has unveiled plans to increase police patrols and boost stop-and-search to cut crime in his "first 100 days", if elected.

Shaun Bailey vowed to "double foot patrols" in the capital as he launched his party's manifesto on Monday.

"My first 100 days in office will be focused on putting Londoners' safety first," Mr Bailey said.

The election for mayor of London will take place on 6 May.

Mr Bailey said he would "roll out scan and search technology" in knife crime hotspots.

LONDON'S ELECTION: THE BASICS

What's happening: On 6 May people will vote to elect a mayor as well as 25 members of the London Assembly. Together, they make up the Greater London Authority (GLA), which governs the capital - you can register to vote here.

What difference does it make? The mayor has a £19bn budget and is responsible for Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police, and has a role in housing, planning and the environment. The London Assembly holds the mayor to account by examining their policies. Find out more here.

Who is standing? London's current mayor, Labour's Sadiq Khan, is seeking re-election and his main challenger is Conservative Shaun Bailey, but there are 18 others running.

The Home Office has trialled body scanners to screen passengers for weapons in London train stations.

"Everyone except Sadiq Khan knows that rising crime is the biggest challenge facing London," Mr Bailey said.

"And while he says it will take 10 years to fix, we can't afford to wait even 10 months."That's why I will use my first 100 days as mayor to visibly make a difference to crime on our streets."

Mr Bailey promised to "boost intelligence-led stop and search".

In his manifesto, he vowed to increase the availability of metal-detecting "knife wands" in an attempt to tackle knife crime.

He has previously promised to recruit 8,000 new Met Police officers and hire 4,000 youth workers to "tackle the root causes of crime".

Met Police figures show knife crime has increased steadily over the past five years, before dropping drastically during London's lockdowns.

'Fantasy figures'

In 2019, the number of teenagers stabbed to death in London reached its highest level since 2008.

The number of knife crimes in England and Wales is also at a record high.

In response to Mr Bailey's announcement, a London Labour spokesman described the statistics as "fantasy figures".

He added: "Londoners haven't forgotten that he was the youth and crime adviser in Downing Street who personally oversaw huge cuts to London's police and youth services.

"Don't give the keys of the car to the person who crashed it in the first place."

Analysis

By BBC London home affairs correspondent Katharine Carpenter

Self-imposed deadlines are always risky for politicians. Shaun Bailey's 100 day pledge is bold, a good headline grabber, but if he becomes the next mayor he'll be judged harshly if he fails.

The Conservatives have already trialled "scan and search" technology back in September 2019 when the Home Office funded a pilot at Stratford Tube station which used scanners to detect "guns, knives and explosive devices from distances of up to 30 feet".

Knife wands are already available to schools after a push by the current mayor, and following the shooting of Sgt Matt Ratana in Croydon last year, Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick announced that more officers would be given handheld metal detectors or "search wands" to make them safer.

Balancing community concerns over stop and search with the need to get tough on knife crime will be as much a challenge for the next mayor as it has been for Sadiq Khan.

There are no quick fixes, but as Mr Bailey and the other candidates are well aware, stopping the bloodshed is one of the most pressing issues of our time and one on which they will be held to account.

• Voting: How do the elections work in London?

• A £17bn budget: What does the London mayor do?

• Postcode search: Who is standing in your area

• Simple guide: All the elections on 6 May 6