One man was found with stab wounds outside a tube station in East London where he died; another man died from stab injuries after turning up at hospital seeking medical help. Police believe he was stabbed during an 'incident' in West London.
Scotland Yard has launched five murder investigations in the last five days — on top of the recent killings and two more stabbings in South London which has left two victims in hospital.
READ MORE: The Snapchat Murder: Somali Teenager's Death Gives Insight Into UK Knife Crime
1 week in London:
— Michael Heaver (@Michael_Heaver) March 17, 2018
Man shot and stabbed to death in Enfield.
18-year-old stabbed to death in Chadwell Heath.
20-year-old shot dead in Walthamstow.
14-year-old shot in Seven Sisters.
This is a national emergency https://t.co/4sc3umyr3m
A murder investigation has been launched after a man died following a reported stabbing #Walthamstow — a 36-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is in custody https://t.co/E90JSXch4g pic.twitter.com/HP9k1a6hhC
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 20, 2018
CCTV issued of a car police wish to trace following incident which ended with two men being stabbed #Wandsworth — call 02032762603 with info. https://t.co/K8iIIAAJOd pic.twitter.com/P7sXVWklMm
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 20, 2018
#Tottenham Armed police operation on South Grove #N15 pic.twitter.com/RsnbGi9H2n
— London 999 Feed (@999London) March 19, 2018
The spate in murders comes as recent figures released by London's Air Ambulance reveal medics treated more victims of violent crime in the capital than it dead treating pedestrians, cyclists or drivers in crashes — the first time in its history of 30 year service, newspaper Evening Standard reported. Helicopters attended 560 shootings and stabbings compared to 533 road traffic incidents.
"It is not unusual now for our teams to perform open-chest surgery for stab wounds twice in a single day, this would have been unheard of a few years back," Dr. Gareth Grier said in a statement.
Wild West London.
— Lenny Etheridge (@lennythepen) March 17, 2018
London’s Air Ambulance Service attended more stabbings and shootings than road traffic collisions in 2017 – it’s the first time that’s happened in the service’s 30 years history. pic.twitter.com/WLQenrpsAW
Some of the calls our medics attended over the weekend:
— Joint Response Unit (@LAS_JRU) March 19, 2018
X6 Firearms related calls
X2 Traumatic Cardiac Arrests
X3 Cardiac Arrests
X1 Acid Attack
X7 Stabbings
Road Traffic Collisions
Vulnerable Adults
Drug overdoses
Assaults
Mental health calls
Gas leak
JRU shifts complete. pic.twitter.com/spM4ltc0i8
Stabbings in London are at the highest level in six years, increasing by 23 percent on the previous year, according to the UK's Office for National Statistics. There was a total of 37,442 recorded knife crime offences in England and Wales in 2017.
- @ONS believe overall rise in police recording of violent crime is largely due to process improvements. However, some of the low volume, but high harm offences (such as knife & gun crime) likely to reflect genuine increase. See more here https://t.co/hFBOvZiD6q
— @ONSCrimeStats (@ONSCrimeStats) February 8, 2018
Recent statistics published by London Mayor Sadiq Khan's office reveal a 31.3 percent increase in knife related crime from 2016 and 2017; gun crime increased by 16.3 percent.
READ MORE: 'It Really Can Save Lives': London Police Hit Back at Criticism of Gang Matrix
Knife crime affected almost 13,000 people in London in 2017, killing a total of 80 people in the year, four dying from stab wounds on New Year's Eve alone. The news of two more murders in London on one night has led to calls for Sadiq Khan to put gun, gang and knife crime higher on the political agenda.
Sophie Linden on LBC dancing around the real issues behind the rise in Knife Crime after two more stabbings in two hours last night in London.
— Eve Monroe (@TheOnlyWayIsEve) February 21, 2018
Repeating “Sadiq Khan is investing…” over & over is not an answer. #HeardItAllBefore#ElephantInTheRoom pic.twitter.com/sr5tVE3mNm
https://t.co/1dQti3im33 'When running for office, Sadiq Khan said, “I’d do everything in my power to cut stop and search”. 2017 saw an eleven per cent drop in stop and search in London from 2016. Number of stabbings in London? Highest it has been for six years' pic.twitter.com/EITDurMbGt
— Backbench (@Backbench_UK) January 10, 2018
Meanwhile the police watchdog is investigating the shooting of a man in East London by a firearms officer called to reports of a car robbery where guns were reported to have been seen. The Met confirmed a "police firearm was discharged" at an address in Hackney and the man was taken to hospital.
#Hackney A man's been taken to hospital after being shot by police in Lower Clapton. Officers were called out to reports of an armed robbery in Mandeville Street last night pic.twitter.com/zlJzUrlCE5
— London 999 Feed (@999London) March 20, 2018
READ MORE: London's Met Police Still Institutionally Racist,' Campaigner Tells Sputnik
