London Increases Police Activity After 2 Teens Stabbed to Death Over Weekend

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - London's police are enhancing citywide presence and search activities following the increase of unrelated knife-stabbing incidents throughout the city, London Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Graham McNulty said in a statement on Monday.

The statement was released following the information that two teenagers were stabbed to death in London and Greater Manchester over the weekend.

"In advance of the weekend just passed, we had arranged for more officers from our Violent Crime Taskforce to be on duty and we have extended their shifts to raise our visibility across London. These officers are operating across London in both uniform and plain clothes," McNulty said.

The assistant commissioner said that tackling violent crime remained the police force's top priority and that officers have conducted over 2,500 stop and searches in the last three days.

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On Sunday, UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he would be meeting with police chiefs during the week to discuss solutions to the "senseless violence."

According to the London Metropolitan Police, knife crime surged by 16 percent in the capital in 2018. The UK National Health Service data shows that the number of children aged 16 and undertreated for stab wounds in England rose by 93 percent, from 180 admissions in the year 2012/2013 to 347 in 2017/2018.