three people killed or seriously injured by knives every day last year in London

Crime reporter(wp/es):

The shocking scale of knife crime in London was revealed today as new figures showed three people were killed or seriously injured in stabbings on the streets of the capital each day in 2016.

The Met statistics showed 60 people were stabbed to death last year, while 1,159 sustained serious injuries. 

In total officers dealt with 21,365 knife crimes, including domestic assaults involving knives and gang attacks, in London in the 12 months of 2016.

The statistics, obtained by the Standard under Freedom of Information rules, show the total number of knife crimes rose by 17 per cent last year compared to 2015 when there were 59 deaths, 1,089 serious injuries and 18,202 less serious offences.

 Last year, 4,316 people were threatened or injured with a knife or other sharp instrument compared with 3,846 in 2015, a 12 per cent increase.

Senior Scotland Yard detectives say they have managed to reduce gang-related knife crime but there is concern more young people are carrying knives for their own protection.

Police are now expanding tactics used by specialist squads, such as checks on retailers and weapon sweeps, to patrol officers in boroughs.

Southwark is the worst affected borough with 1,258 knife-related offences followed by Newham with 1,165 and Lambeth with 1,156.

Knife crime in London

They are followed by Tower Hamlets (1,087) and Croydon (1,026).

In terms of injuries, Lambeth had the worst record last year with one death and 246 people injured closely followed by Newham which recorded three murders and 243 people injured. Croydon recorded the highest knife related murder rate with six deaths.

So far this year five people have been stabbed to death in London including teenagers Djodjo Nsaka, 19, a university student from Streatham and 15-year-old school boy Quamari Barnes from Harlesden.

Patrick Green, manager of the Ben Kinsella Trust, set up in the wake of the murder of 16-year-old Ben Kinsella in Islington in 2008, said the statistics confirmed their “worst fears”.

He said: “This data shows that in the last year more families have lost a loved one and more victims are having to rebuild their lives after a serious injury. 

“If these crime figures tell us anything it is that we can’t sit back and watch this problem continue to grow, tackling knife crime has to be the policing priority for London.”

Barry Mizen, 65, whose 16-year-old son Jimmy was murdered in Lee in 2008, said : “The stark reality of what these figures convey should be alarming to all of us.

“The collateral damage and the impact on people’s lives following these incidents can be huge. Hand on heart I don’t think much has changed.

“I don’t doubt that there are good intentions but we need to sit down and think about what we can do to tackle this.”

Sophie Linden, the deputy mayor for policing and crime, said: “Every death on the streets of London is an utter tragedy, and the Mayor and I are deeply concerned about the rise in knife crime in the capital.”

She said she was working with knife retailers to explore what could be done to reduce the underage sale of knives. 

She added :“We’ve got to work with communities, schools and the young people themselves to spread the message that carrying a knife is more likely to ruin your life than save it.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Kevin Southworth said police were constantly reviewing tactics on tackling knife crime.

He added: “The most recent phase of Operation Sceptre in January involved nearly 900 activities across the capital and we have similar proactive activity planned throughout the year."