Sadiq Khan slammed by Habib on undelivered pledges
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Mr Habib claimed London's mayor was more concerned about "which statues should come down and which street names should change". Violence fell by more than a quarter during lockdown in London - but the number of murders is now on the rise.
An analysis published by The Sun suggested since the beginning of 2021, the Met has launched 18 murder investigations, compared with 15 deaths during the same period in both 2020 and 2019.
Victims include Tryreke Watson, 21, stabbed to death coming out of a shop in North London on Monday, and 22-year-old trainee lawyer Sven Badzak, 22, killed by six knife-wielding thugs outside a bagel shop in Kilburn earlier this month.
Mr Habib pointed the finger at Mr Khan, who will seek re-election on May 6.
© GETTYSadiq Khan
© InstagramSadiq Khan
He told Express.co.uk: "One of the saving graces of lockdown should have been a reduction in crime and murders.
"I had thought that Sadiq Khan's inability adequately to discharge his obligations on law and order might at least benefit from lockdown. Not under our Mayor.
"He seems to have so utterly failed in his obligations that even in these constrained times crime, and fatal crime at that, is rising.
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© GETTYBen Habib
"There has been a murder every three days in 2021.
"Where the devil is Sadiq Khan?"
Referring to Mr Khan's de facto role as London's Police and Crime Commissioner, Mr Habib asked: "Why is he not holding the Met to account?
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© Police handoutSven Badzak
© GETTYTryreke Watson
"Why is he not ensuring they do their job?
"They seem able to ensure people cannot sit on park benches together.
"But the prevention of serious crime seems to have dropped off their and his list of priorities.
© GETTYSadiq Khan
Mr Khan recently launched his Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, which will advise on "better ways to raise public understanding behind existing statues, street names, building names and memorials", according to the Mayor Of London's office.
Sadiq Khan announces £30m investment in extra policing
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Mr Habib said: "Khan is busy spending £250,000 determining, in his highly limited wisdom, which statues in our great city should come down, which street names should change.
"He has no time to deal with what the vast majority of Londoners would regard as his job, keeping them safe. Sadiq Khan must go."
© GETTYSadiq Khan
Last week Mr Khan announced his intention to invest a further £30 million - bringing his investment in policing to £1.08 billion - to ensure that more than 1,000 Met Police officers funded by City Hall will continue to patrol the streets of the capital for the next four years.
A Mayor of London's Office spokesman told Express.co.uk: "Being tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime is Sadiq's top priority, which is why he has invested more than any other Mayor in policing and reducing crime.
"He's put more than a thousand extra police officers on London's streets than when he became Mayor but it's clear there is still more work to do.
"It is vital that the Government matches the Mayor's commitment to tackling crime by properly funding the Met and preventative services like youth centres and sports clubs."