Yahoo News London murder rate highest for more than a decade
The murder rate in London is at its highest for more than a decade, according to new police figures.
The number of killings in the capital hit 142 on Monday when James O'Keefe, 47, was stabbed to death in Hornsey.
The number was previously higher in 2008 when 154 people were murdered. In total 133 homicides happened last year.
A police spokesperson said: “London has tragically seen the total number of homicide investigations in 2019 exceed the figure for 2018.
“Each one of these cases is a tragedy, not just for the victims, their families and friends, but also for our wider communities who are left reeling by these acts of senseless violence.
“Tackling violence is the number one priority for the Metropolitan Police Service. One homicide, one stabbing, one violent incident, is simply one too many.”
More than 50% of people killed in 2019 were stabbed to death, with 23 of them teenagers, the BBC reported.
The youngest victim was 14-year-old Jaden Moodie.
His killer Ayoub Majdouline, 19, was convicted of his murder on Wednesday following a trial where the violent murder of the teen was shown on CCTV.
The Met said its approach to tackling violence is organisational-wide from local borough officers, who are already on the streets as part of their day-to-day duties, to specialists units and taskforces, including the Met’s dedicated Violent Crime Taskforce (VCTF).
It said since April 2018 to 6 December, the VCTF have arrested 7,788 individuals, conducted 12,504 weapons sweeps, recovered 1,378 knives, and taken 911 offensive weapons off the streets.
The Met Police added it was working tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice but needed the public’s help to help catch them and prevent crime.
READ MORE YAHOO NEWS HERE:
Met Police issues mugshots of London's most wanted suspects in time for Christmas
Couple guilty of drowning homeless woman in bath before stealing £5,000 of her benefits
Police officer, 44, quits after having sex with 'vulnerable' abuse victim while on duty
The spokesperson said: “The public also play a huge role in helping to both prevent and detect crime.
“We need to hear from anyone who has information about a crime, or about someone they suspect to be carrying a weapon or involved in organised crime.”
“If you don’t want to speak to the police, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 they are a totally independent charity and you remain anonymous, they never ask your name and they cannot trace your call or device you use.”
A march to stop knife crime took place in London last Saturday in honour of aspiring Olympian Tashan Daniel, 20, who was killed at a Tube station last month.
