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City Hall should be given control of the supervision of freed offenders in London, Sadiq Khan said today.

A watchdog has warned that the public is being put at risk by “unacceptable” probation failings in the capital.

The chief inspector of probation, Dame Glenys Stacey, said the “poor performance” of the London Community Rehabilitation Company, a private provider responsible for most probation work in the city, meant some offenders were not being monitored for months.

Others were “lost in the system” with the result that Londoners were being “exposed unduly to the risk of harm”.

In response, the Mayor said the Government’s decision to privatise most probation work last year had backfired: “Today’s report is deeply alarming and shows that London’s probation service is simply not working, with Londoners significantly more at risk as a result of the upheaval caused by privatisation.

“Reoffending costs London almost £2.3 billion each year. I will continue to make the case to the Government that responsibility for probation services in London should be devolved to City Hall, so we can drive the very necessary long-lasting improvements that will cut reoffending, reduce crime, improve public safety and save the taxpayer money.”

The Ministry of Justice also described the findings, drawn from an analysis of cases in north London, as “unacceptable” and said it had deployed a team to improve performance. The LCRC said it had already implemented reforms and viewed public safety as its “number one priority”.