Youth knife crime on the rise in Camden
- 50% rise in number of knife crime victims under 25 in Camden in the last year
- 23% rise in number of knife crime victims under 25 across London in last year
- Violent Crime up 27% on last year in the capital
- £800m of further police cuts in the pipeline
Youth knife crime is on the rise in Camden with a 50% increase in the number of knife crime victims under 25 in the last year. The police needed to urgently reconsider how they tackle knife crime with spikes expected during the summer months. The call comes after Met Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan Howe, confirmed that the number of stabbing victims under 25, is on the rise in London.
New figures from the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime show that knife crimes involving victims under 25 have risen by 50% in Camden in the last year, up from 28 incidents in 2013/14 to 42 incidents in 2014/15.
Sir Bernard Hogan Howe was questioned about increases in knife crime during a meeting of the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee in May. The Commissioner agreed that injuries from knife crime “had gone up” and were “worrying.”
On 3rd June Sir Bernard Hogan Howe conceded to London Assembly Members at a meeting at City Hall, “over the last few months we have seen a rise [in youth knife crime] and we want to do something about that.”
Knife crime with injury is just one part of violent crime, which rose by 27% in London during the same period. Mr Dismore said he and his colleagues had been warning about rises in violent crime for the last year, but that the Mayor only recently recognised the trend.
We need urgent action from the Mayor and the police to address this sorry situation and that means a thorough investigation into this deeply concerning rise in stabbings.
It is incredibly sad to see so many young lives affected by these inexcusable acts and my thoughts are of course with the victims and their families.
I welcome the Borough Commander Chief Supt Tucker’s acknowledgement of the issue and his sincere desire to address this terrible and pointless loss.
We know that communities in Camden are working together to bring knife crime down, but the Mayor and the police need to review their tactics over the summer to stop this trend in its tracks. It’s disappointing that it’s only now that the Mayor is beginning to appreciate the gravity of this problem.
