Mayor Sadiq Khan today announced £500,000 is to be spent on improving services to support women at risk of re-offending after serving prison sentences.

The money will go to charities and other services in 10 London boroughs to provide specialist help on domestic and sexual abuse, trauma counselling, employment, parenting and housing.

About 30,000 women are arrested each year in London, making up a third of all offenders sentenced at court, and around 20 per cent of these are re-offenders.

Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor for Policing And Crime, said: “We know most women serving prison sentences have committed a non-violent offence, and by providing support across a range of areas we can help them deal with the root causes of their problems, drive down re-offending, cut crime and make our communities safer.”