Celebrity chef James Martin has raged at ‘lawless London‘ after yobs smashed the rear windscreen of his car in broad daylight.
Martin, who hosts James Martin’s Saturday Morning on ITV every week, took to Instagram to hit out at crime rates in the capital after he and several friends were all targeted in the space of a week.
He said two friends had had their cars stolen and another was mugged.
He wrote: ‘So in a week two of my friends cars got stolen, one other mate got mugged and now I had this happen all in broad daylight all in central London.
‘London is broken big time… next time I’m bringing the Malis.’
Martin was referring to his two pet dogs, who are Belgian Malinoises.
He previously gushed about his beloved animals in a post in 2022, when he said: ‘I have to say I have had dogs all my life but these two are unbelievably clever. Thanks to the trainer for doing all the work.’
It comes as Labour announced new plans this week to free up spaces in the UK’s overcrowded prisons.
Martin, who hosts James Martin’s Saturday Morning on ITV every week, took to Instagram to hit out at crime rates in the capital
A photo on his Instagram showed how thieves broke into his car by smashing the rear window
Martin’s claim that London is ‘broken’ is a familiar call for many activists in the capital, who have decried the scourges of theft, shoplifting and knife crime – among other offences – which frequently blight the capital’s streets.
Earlier this month, campaigners called for mandatory five-year sentences for adults caught carrying blades on the street, and three years for youths.
County lines drugs gangs and rival cartels are warring in city streets while youngsters in towns are carrying knives into school and slaughtering children in parks.
Norman Brennan, a former police officer and director of the Law and Order Foundation – which campaigns for victims – said the ‘tsunami’ of bloodshed washing over Britain had now reached apocalyptic levels.
Mr Brennan – who was almost stabbed to death tackling a burglar during his time as a London cop – has teamed up with publican influencer Adam Brooks, whose father was murdered by a machete gang, to call for tougher sentences.
‘This is a national crisis. It is an emergency like I’ve never seen. We are heading to the abyss,’ he said.
‘We have slipped into a tide of anarchy. There’s no police on the streets. The public don’t feel safe. Criminals walk around now feeling untouchable.
‘I predicted this knife crime epidemic 20 years ago. I’ve been warning governments of all political colours of the perfect storm that was coming – and now it’s here. It’s a tsunami… it’s a tide of bloodshed.’
Appearing on his show this morning on ITV, James Martin did not mention the incident
This week Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood took to the Commons to announce new plans to tackle prison overcrowding
The pair have launched a petition calling for change. In a matter of days, more than 32,000 people signed it. It needs 100,000 to be debated in parliament.
But the idea is unlikely to gain traction in government due to the major problem of prison overcrowding and a lack of spaces.
This week Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood took to the Commons to announce new plans to tackle the issue, including letting some criminals out on the streets after serving just a third of their sentence.
Other suggestions to free up spaces involve avoiding sending people to prison if they would have received a sentence under 12 months and chemically castrating sex offenders.
It followed a report by former Conservative Justice Secretary David Gauke, who made a series of recommendations ton free up 9,800 jail spaces by 2028.
