MPs show support for Ukip MEP in hospital in 'serious condition'

Pic: Steven Woolfe Left 
Political reporter(wp/es):
Politicians across all parties have offered their support for Steven Woolfe after he was rushed to hospital in a “serious” condition after allegedly being punched.
Conservative, Labour and SNP MPs are among a flood of well-wishers who have tweeted their solidarity with the Ukip MEP.
Mr Woolfe is undergoing tests after suffering a suspected bleed on the brain following an altercation at the European Parliament building in Strasbourg.
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage revealed an argument had taken place after Ukip initially said the 49-year-old was taken ill.
 He said: “I deeply regret that following an altercation that took place at a meeting of UKIP MEPs this morning that Steven Woolfe subsequently collapsed and was taken to hospital. His condition is serious.”
 Labour MP Toby Perkins tweeted: “Terrible to hear Steven Woolfe hospitalised after fight with UKIP colleague. Hope he is OK.
 While Tory Nadhim Zahawi wrote: “Shocking news about Steven Woolfe. I have debated him, always courteous & a decent man. Does not deserve this. Praying for a swift recovery.”

SNP representative Peter Grant posted: “I hope even UKIP's strongest opponents (of which I am one) can set aside differences & pray for Steven Woolfe and his family.”
And Labour’s Paula Sherriff added: “Hope @Steven_Woolfe makes a full and speedy recovery. Thoughts with him and his family
Roberta Metsola, a MEP in Malta, wrote: “Wishing #UKIP MEP @Steven_Woolfe a speedy recovery after he collapsed at #EPlenary & is in serious condition after altercation in Parliament.”
The Evening Standard understands the fight happened outside the meeting of 22 Ukip MEPs where Mr Woolfe had been arguing with another MEP.

Afterwards he told a colleague he was “all right” but that it had been “a difficult meeting”. His last words to the colleague were: “I’m off to vote.”
Mr Woolfe has been identified as the hot favourite to succeed Diane James as leader of the party.
He announced he would stand for the leadership on Wednesday and was quickly endorsed by the party’s key donor Arron Banks.
However, he admitted that he had considered joining the Conservatives after becoming “enthused” by the start of Theresa May’s premiership.

kidnap attempt outside school in Coulsdon

Crime reporter(wp/es):
A 12-year-old girl was targeted by a stranger who tried to get her into his car in a suspected kidnap attempt as she walked to school in south London.
Police are investigating after the man attempted to coax the girl into his car near to the school in Croydon on Tuesday morning.
The girl ran away and the man drove away from the scene in Smitham Downs Road, Coulsdon near to Woodcote High School, police said.
The incident, which has sparked fear among parents, took place at about 8.10am during the school-run.
A post shared on Facebook said the man, who is described as aged in his 40s or 50s, tried to persuade the girl to get in his car by saying her mother had asked him to pick her up.
 A spokeswoman for the school told the Croydon Advertiser: “We were made aware of this issue late morning yesterday and informed the student's parents immediately, together with the school's police liaison officer who was directly involved and formally reported the incident to Croydon Police.

"Both the school and the police liaison officer have been in constant contact with the parent of the student involved.
"Subsequently, we sent a message out informing people to be vigilant. The text of the message read: 'Please don't approach any stranger in a vehicle in the local area. The police have had some reports of people acting suspiciously recently.'
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said no arrests have been made and enquiries are continuing.

In London last year Four thousand people were injured by knives

Crime reporter(wp/es):
London's epidemic of stabbings and knife injuries is at its highest rate for five years - with 11 people being injured in attacks each day.
The latest Met police statistics show more than 4,000 people suffered knife injuries in the capital in the last 12 months, a rise of 4.4 per cent on the previous 12 month period.
Deputy Mayor for Policing Sophie Linden described the rise as “deeply concerning,” saying Mayor Sadiq Khan had called a knife crime summit later this month to tackle the crisis.
The figures also show the number of shootings in London is also rising, though the numbers involved are smaller.

Outgoing Met police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe told a recent City Hall meeting that the force was worried about the involvement of gang members in the number of stabbings and the casual carrying of knives by young people.
He said while overall knife crime offences were falling, often cases where people reported seeing a blade, more people in London were getting stabbed.
He said : “We have too many casually carrying knives. Most of these events happen in public, they don’t appear to be that pre-arranged. Casual or random arguments turn into very serious issues.”
Sir Bernard said stabbings involving gangs were often linked to organised crime.  
Figures show the number of young people being stabbed is rising at a rate of five per cent – a total of 1,751 people under the age of 25 suffered knife injuries in the last 12 months, compared to 1,668 over the same period a year ago.

A total of 4,015 people suffered knife crime injuries in the 12 months to August, compared to 3,844 in the previous period, a rise of 4.4 per cent.
The last highest total was in 2011 when they were 4,135 victims of stabbings.
The figures are revealed as the Sentencing Council for England and Wales recommended tougher sentences for people caught carrying knives in the street.
Carrying a knife while in a group or gang, or filming attacks for social media could also spell more jail time.
The Council, who produces guidlines for the judiciary, says it wants sentences to better recognise public concern amid a rise in recorded knife offences.
 Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said sentences should reflect the “devastation” caused by knife crime.

Ms Linden said: “Every death or serious injury of a young Londoner is an utter tragedy and the recent rise in knife crime is deeply concerning.
“This is a complex issue that cannot be solved by policing alone, which is why we are working with communities, partner organisations, local authorities, and schools to understand the causes, identify those at greatest risk and intervene more effectively to stop people carrying knives.”
Statistics also show that guns were fired 302 times in London in the year to the end of August 2016, 91 more than the previous year There was also a leap of a third in the number of guns fired in the month of August this year compared to June.
There were 46 firearm discharges in both July and August this year.

Sir Bernard said he believed the rise in gun crime was due to an increase in the number of weapons being smuggled into the UK.
The Met seized 714 guns in 2015, including semi-automatic guns, which he said was “worrying”.
Sir Bernard said one reason more people were carrying and using knives was the mistaken belief that they would feel safer if they carried a blade, when the opposite is true because often the same weapon was used against them.
The Met chief said he had ordered more stop and searches to be carried out in areas where there were the most stabbings. Figures compiled by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime show victims under 25 experience half of all knife injury robberies and 48% of all serious knife assault offences.

A Met operation to tackle knife crime launched in October last year had resulted in the seizure of 4,700 knives in London.
The figures were revealed after a series of shocking knife attacks on London’s streets.
Last month Ricky Hayden, 27, a celebrities’ bodyguard who worked at the wedding of ex-England footballer Peter Crouch, was killed and his father Paul, 46, suffered serious injuries after they confronted four masked men armed with machetes who were allegedly trying to steal a moped outside the family home in Chadwell Heath. One man has been charged with murder.

In August 19-year-old Andre Aderemi became the eighth teenager to be stabbed to death in London this year.
He allegedly suffered multiple stab injuries. Four teenagers have been charged with his murder.
Sixteen people suffered knife injuries at this year’s Notting Hill carnival while a teenager who ‘stabbed people for fun’ when a water fight in Hyde Park exploded into violence is facing years behind bars.
Joshua Clements, 18, has admitted wounding two men with a hunting knife at the London park.
Concern that gangs were increasingly carrying so-called Zombie knives led to a Government ban on the sale knives with 25 inch serrated blades earlier this year.

Sadiq Khan urged to reopen ticket offices at Tube stations

Staff reporter(wp/es):
Sadiq Khan has been urged to reopen ticket offices at Tube stations after staff reported a spike in abuse following the controversial closures.
Underground workers have faced more than 2,000 incidents of abuse - including being verbally abused, spat at and bitten - over the past six months, a new report revealed.
The Transport Salaried Staffs Association said the closure programme, agreed by previous mayor Boris Johnson, should be reversed.
Passengers were said to be regularly frustrated by ticket machines and blamed problems on staff who have been moved from ticket offices to station concourses.
The union, which has 1,600 members on the Tube, threatened a ballot over industrial action if the issue is not tackled.
Most of its members asked said they felt less safe than before the changes.
They reported increased levels of stress and feeling vulnerable because of the abuse they faced, while many said passengers are now more likely to attempt to avoid paying to travel.
TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: "Our survey has uncovered some terrible stories which are indicative of a system in complete crisis.
"Our members' mental health is suffering and the imposition of new shift lengths are adversely affecting their work-life balance across the board.
"I have written to mayor Sadiq Khan asking him to intervene immediately to undo these savage cuts to the service rushed through in the dying days of Boris Johnson's regime.
"I hope our Labour mayor will use his power to immediately reopen the ticket offices and begin to re-establish the Tube as a safe working - and travelling - space."
Last month, Mr Khan ordered London’s transport watchdog to investigate the closures.
A six-week review was launched on September 12 to look at the impact of the closures on passengers.
Steve Griffiths, TfL’s chief operating officer for London Underground, said: "Our staff work hard to serve the millions of customers that pass through the Tube and rail network every day.
"Everyone has the right to go about their work without fear or intimidation and we do not tolerate any form of verbal or physical assault on our staff.
 "Our campaign against workplace violence sends a clear message that any assault on staff will be fully investigated and we work closely with the British Transport Police to bring perpetrators to justice. If you ever witness an assault on a station staff member, you should report it immediately so that we can all work together to maintain a safe transport network.”