The Government has reintroduced a selection of new Covid restrictions under its "Plan B" framework. The Omicron variant has forced ministers' hands, with new measures brought in to curb infections. Recent data published by City Hall shows that the UK Covid experience has left many people under pressure, exacerbating conditions also associated with knife crime.

       The City Hall data identified several "complex factors" behind knife crime rates in London.

       Causes include "deep-rooted and ingrained social and economic issues", among them school exclusion, poor mental health and a lack of youth services in earlier life.

       Poverty, inequality and high employment later on contribute similarly, leading people into the "wrong path".

       Of the top 10 London boroughs with the highest crime rates, all have higher child poverty rates than the London average.

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       The pandemic has only intensified the suffering many younger Britons experience.

       Covid necessitated sweeping restrictions, changing the ways most jobs work and shutting down hospitality for months on end.

       The new work arrangements primarily impacted those living on lower wages and caused a surge in Universal Credit claims.

       In London, they have risen by 130 percent since the pandemic started.

       As of October 2021, 54,000 of them have claimed unemployment-related benefits, rising from 3.8 to 7.3 percent this year.

       And food parcel handouts from the Trussell Truss increased most in seven boroughs in the top 10 for "serious offence".

       Over time, many of these stressors will likely result in higher crime rates.

       Speaking from South London today, Sadiq Khan said he is developing a programme to target factors contributing to rising criminality.

       He said: “We must be both tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime.

       "Because the truth is we know there’s a complex set of factors at play in people’s lives, homes and communities, which can alter the likelihood of someone taking the wrong path and getting involved in violence."

       He has set up the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), a service designed to deliver programmes that support young people.

       Over the next year, the VRU, working with City Hall, aims to "support almost 100,000 more young Londoners".