Revealed: 100 stabbings in London this year

More than 100 people have been stabbed this year in London.

The dramatic scale of knife attacks was highlighted as a crackdown using hundreds of police armed with metal detectors was launched.

The Standard has collated figures from Scotland Yard, City of London Police and British Transport Police. They found detailed evidence of 79 of this year's stabbings in which 33 people died.

There was other incidents in which details were unclear which take the total to more than 100 in just four months. Ten were teenagers, with the youngest victim, 14-year-old Amro Elbadawi, killed in West Kilburn in March. In total, police dealt with 1,664 violent "knife-enabled" crimes - which range from murders to muggings where blades were brandished to threaten victims.

The figure came after a string of stabbings in the last few days culminating in a 22-year-old being killed in front of hundreds of shoppers in Oxford Street, prompting one of London's most senior policemen to vow: "Enough is enough." Boris Johnson's most senior adviser on policing, Kit Malthouse, said knife crime was now ruining London's reputation around the world. "It is a scandal and a disgrace. London is getting the name for being a knife crime capital around the world and we are indomitable to do something about this." Senior officers met yesterday after seeing Mr Johnson following the murder of Steven Bigby on Monday outside a McDonald's in Oxford Street.

It was revealed he was on bail accused of rape and a stabbing and was known to police as a member of a notorious north London gang. After the summit, Assistant Commissioner Tim Godwin said action would now be taken to deal with the knife crime culture.

The crackdown on knife crime marks a break with Ken Livingstone's response to an outbreak of knife crime, when he accused the media of sensationalising the problem.

Mr Johnson said that as an additional measure, uniformed police officers are to be put on the top deck of buses to support adults who want to challenge anti-social behaviour. He added: "We're going to give adults more confidence by doubling the safer transport teams."

Time and time again, people say something needs to be done. So let’s take action and do something. The Victory Youth Group is fighting to take young people out of the gang lifestyle, and works to provide a familiar place to which young people can turn for practical, moral and ethical advice and guidance.

Released on Thursday, 15th May 2008

Source - www.eveningstandard.co.uk