When I meet constituents, crime is nearly always the most pressing issue for them – crime is increasing in our community.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 18,624 crimes were reported in our borough in the last financial year, up by about 6 per cent.

This is the eighth lowest total in London but is hardly cause for celebration considering four people were killed in our community in that time and the number of robberies almost doubled.

Knife crime in particular remains a major concern and I’ve written previously about how we need to be tough on those who commit it.

As the Mayor of London has said, “violent crime is ripping communities apart and devastating too many lives.”

We seem almost powerless to stop this, especially in the face of persistent cuts to local police. But there is hope and local people are leading the way.

Box Up Crime is based right here in our borough and is using sport to inspire and educate young people.

Born out of founder Stephen Addison’s own experience of gangs and crime, he is helping young people – the future of our community – to choose a better path.

I was so pleased to see them featured recently on the BBC News at Ten, gaining more recognition for their work.

Community action like this is so important. By helping kids choose a different path, we can stop them from pursuing a life of crime.

And prevention is always better than cure.