Latest news with #knifecrime
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Revealed: London's worst area for knife crime
The West End of London has been revealed as the capital's knife crime hotspot. More knife offences were recorded in a single area between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus than in 700 other similar-sized locations in the city. It was among more than 200 hotspot areas that accounted for more than a quarter of all London's knife crime last year, according to research by the Policy Exchange think tank. The geographical concentration of violence comes as knife crime in London has increased by 58.5 per cent to a record 16,789 offences in the three years to 2024. This represents some 32.1 per cent of all knife crime in England. The Policy Exchange report recommended that Scotland Yard should adopt an enhanced 'zero tolerance' strategy in the top 20 knife crime hotspots where officers would be 'explicitly tasked' to conduct 'very high volumes' of stop and searches. 'The highest hotspot for knife crime in London (in the vicinity of Oxford Circus and Regent Street) should have very large numbers of officers on patrol (at least 100 officers) in this single area during peak times,' said the think tank.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Only 1 in 20 muggings in London were solved last year
Only one in 20 muggings in London were solved last year, according to a report that reveals the extent of the crime epidemic plaguing the capital. The study by the Policy Exchange think tank also showed that only one in 170 snatch thefts, such as watches or phones being stolen on the street, were solved by the Metropolitan Police. Knife crime in London has increased by nearly 60 per cent over three years, the study showed. It is concentrated in a specific area of central London as criminals target tourists. The Times reported at the start of this year that violent robberies and knifepoint thefts of smartphones had risen by nearly 50 per cent since the Covid-19 pandemic. The Policy Exchange report also published a new analysis of stop and search statistics that appeared to refute the suggestion that the tactic is racist. Although a higher proportion of those stopped and searched were black relative to the overall population, the report found that the proportion of black people charged for murder, knife crime and robbery was even higher. The report also revealed that an increasing number of repeat offenders are avoiding prison. Hyper-prolific offenders — those with 46 or more previous convictions — were sent to prison on less than half of all occasions. One small area of about 20 streets in the West End of London near Oxford Circus and Regent Street had more knife crime than nearly 15 per cent of the rest of the capital combined. The top four neighbourhoods — each covering an area of 15 to 20 streets — were all in the West End and 4 per cent of neighbourhoods accounted for half of all offences in the capital in 2024. Most knife crime in London involves robbery, and mobile phones were the most common target. Last year 62 per cent of knife crime offences were robberies. Combined robbery and theft from a person offences included over 81,000 mobile phone thefts in the capital last year. • How London became the phone-snatching capital of Europe Despite the rise in thefts and robberies, the rate of robbers and thieves caught by the Metropolitan Police in London is falling. In 2024, only 0.6 per cent of theft from a person offences, which usually involve mobile phones but can also include items such as handbags, were solved by the police, down from 1.1 per cent in 2021. This amounts to only one in 170 theft from a person offences being solved. Only 5.1 per cent of robberies involving a threat of violence against the person, known as muggings, were solved last year, down from 7.9 per cent in 2022. This amounts to a rate of one in 20. David Spencer, a former detective chief inspector at the Metropolitan Police and author of the Policy Exchange report, warned that such low rates of crimes being solved contributes to the public's perception that there are limited consequences for those committing crime. Even when caught, robbers and violent criminals are less likely to be sent to prison than they were ten years ago. In 2017, 71 per cent of robbers were sentenced to immediate imprisonment but that has now fallen to 55 per cent. The rate of imprisonment handed out to those convicted of violence against a person offences has fallen from a high of 43 per cent in 2018 to 36 per cent in 2024. Repeat knife-crime offenders are supposed to be given an immediate custodial sentence but over a third avoided a prison sentence last year. The detailed analysis of knife crime offences comes days after the Office for National Statistics published data revealing that London now accounts for nearly a third of all knife-enabled crime nationwide. Although knife crime nationwide fell by 1 per cent last year, it increased by 9 per cent in London, with 16,297 offences in the year to March. The Policy Exchange report concluded that a significant increase in the use of stop and search must be undertaken by the Metropolitan Police. It called upon the prime minister to issue a statement endorsing the practice to refute the perception it is racist. Its analysis of official statistics found that over the last two years, 39.5 per cent of people stopped and searched by police in London were black. In the capital's population as a whole, 13.5 per cent of people are black. The figures were even more pronounced for those charged with knife-related crime and for victims. Of the total number of people charged with murder, 43.6 per cent were black, while 48.6 per cent of robbery suspects were black. Some 45.6 per cent of non-domestic knife crime murder victims were black. • Met Police chief: Black teens dying on streets risks becoming 'normal' Spencer said that rather than being discriminatory, the use of stop and search reflected the demographic breakdown of serious and violent offending in the capital. The report called for the top 20 hotspots for knife crime in London to be subject to enhanced zero-tolerance enforcement through deployment of police officers on patrol explicitly tasked with conducting very high volumes of stop and search. It called on the government to deploy live facial recognition systems in those areas, with officers physically deployed at peak offending times. The report also called on the government to introduce a new law that introduces mandatory immediate custodial sentences of two years for all hyper-prolific offenders on conviction of serious offences. The report was backed by several Labour MPs, including Margaret Mullane, who represents Dagenham & Rainham in east London. She said: 'London is in the grip of a public safety crisis. Robbery, knife attacks and phone thefts have become routine, yet while street crime surges, the criminal justice system has faltered. 'This hard-hitting report from Policy Exchange exposes the scale of the problem and sets out clearly where things must change. Every Londoner deserves to feel safe and this report shows how we get there.' Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'The analysis lays bare the scale of the challenge for police chiefs and policymakers alike. But this report is not a counsel of despair — it is a call to action. 'The zero-tolerance approach advocated within this report is one that I support. It will closely inform my policy thinking in this area. 'Implementation of a zero-tolerance approach to crime requires a combination of clear policy, political will and savvy operational policing. It also requires policing and political leaders to put public safety ahead of ideological dogma on issues such as stop and search. 'This report provides a route map for that approach and I wholeheartedly commend it as a vital contribution to the direction for law enforcement in this country.'
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Matthew Daulby's killer will never be forgiven, mum says
The mother of man who was knifed to death in a fight has said she will never be able to forgive his Daulby, 19, from Liverpool, was stabbed after two groups clashed outside a bar in Ormskirk, Lancashire, on 29 July Dures, 21, eventually handed himself in at a police station in Greece after being on the run for 18 months, and was jailed for at least 23 years after being convicted of murder at Preston Crown Dures in a statement read to the court following his sentencing, Mr Daulby's mother, Angela, said: "Your cowardly actions have meant we have not been able to grieve properly, which has increased our family's trauma." Tuesday marks two years to the day since Mr Daulby was mother said Dures' decision to go on the run meant "we had no choice but to resort to doing things that, as private people, we would never have imagined having to do - like appear on TV appealing for [him] to be caught and face justice at the worst time in our lives".She said Dures "a coward who carried a knife" who wanted to avoid "owning up to murdering Matthew".Continuing to address Dures, she added: "Having to watch video footage, repeatedly, of Matthew being murdered and watching you walk away, carry on your evening and your life for another 18 months, I will never be able to forget or forgive."You have never shown any remorse or even acceptance that you murdered the most precious thing in our lives."My family will never be the same again. You have spoilt the happiest, loving family anybody could wish to have."She said the end of the trial "marks the end of a very long and challenging journey through the criminal justice system" but "the loss of Matthew is permanent, life-changing, and unbearable every day". Speaking outside court, Mr Daulby's father, Gary, said: "After two horrendous years we have finally achieved justice for Matthew."I have very little to say about Thomas Dures. Just that he cowardly ran away and hid for a very long period after causing total devastation to my family," he said."Matthew will be missed every day for the rest of our lives. His loss cannot be measured in a few words."I leave the last words to Matthew - choose life not a knife." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Sky News
a day ago
- Sky News
Southport stabbing victim reveals how she survived attack - and fears 'it could happen again'
A girl who was stabbed in the Southport attack has told Sky News how she thought she was going to die that day. Warning: Some readers may find this content distressing It is exactly a year since Axel Rudakubana killed three girls and attempted to murder eight others at a summer holiday Taylor Swift-themed dance event in the seaside town. The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was stabbed in the back and the arm after going to the class with her younger sister. She is now campaigning for children to have mandatory first aid training at school in response to the growth of knife crime. She said she clearly remembers what happened that day. "Some of the girls were sat down in a circle making bracelets with the teachers, and a couple of them were getting up to get beads. I was standing between two tables and he came through the doors. "He stabbed a little girl in front of me and then came for me and stabbed my arm. I turned and then he stabbed my back, even though I didn't feel it at the time. "There was a bunch of girls huddled around so I just started pushing them down the stairs, telling them to get out and run. "I was thinking 'Where's my sister?' and 'We need to get out'." She and many of the other victims ran to the house of a neighbour for shelter. "I just thought that I was going to die," she said. Killer 'looked possessed' The girl said she can clearly picture Rudakubana that day. "What I remember most about him is his eyes. They just didn't look human, they looked possessed. It was kind of like a dream and you're on a movie set and watching yourself go through it and make these decisions. "It's just kind of like adrenaline. People like to think they know what they'd do in that situation but, in reality, you don't until you're in it." Six-year-old Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, who was seven, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar died in the attack. It is something she finds difficult to talk about. "I don't think I can express how I feel about it," the girl said. "A lot of anger and sadness." In January, Rudakubana was jailed for life and must serve a minimum of 52 years before he can be considered for release. The chairman of the public inquiry into the atrocity called the attack "one of the most egregious crimes in our country's history". Carrying knives 'disgusting' The girl who survived has now launched a campaign, supported by a clothing range called "Go Anywhere, Be Anything" to raise funds, to improve the ability of schoolchildren to help in the event of knife attacks. "Everyone that's going out and carrying knives is getting younger and younger," she said. "And to think that it's people my age is like disgusting. "I just want to try and do the best I can to let people know that it's not okay to do that and that they need to think about what they're doing and the risks and how they're harming themselves and other people." Her sister, who was also there that day, helped design "Go Anywhere, Be Anything". A three-minute silence will be held in Southport at 3pm to mark one year on from the attack. In an open letter to the community, Sefton Council wrote: "This period is incredibly hard for the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie and all of those children and adults injured or who suffered lifelong psychological impact of witnessing the attack, and we acknowledge the huge impact on their lives, too. "We must not forget the local people who rushed to support and to our emergency responders. They all remain always in our thoughts." It is a sentiment shared by the survivor. "You live in fear every day that it could happen again," she said.
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Man arrested for alleged armed robbery at Charlottetown pizzeria
A Charlottetown Police Services sign is pictured in this file photo. Police in P.E.I. arrested a 24-year-old for allegedly robbing a Charlottetown pizzeria while wielding a large knife in May. Police say a masked man allegedly entered Jack's Pizza on 330 University Ave. on May 30 and wielded the knife at an employee before stealing cash from the register. There were no reported injuries. Police conducted an investigation and after reviewing security footage, they charged the unnamed suspect with armed robbery. The man was also charged with wearing a mask with the intent to commit an indictable offence. Police say the man was charged with assault with a weapon for an unrelated matter. The man was released on conditions and is set to appear in court on Aug. 21 and Sept. 25. For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
