By Agatha Kempf, Hanna Leppanen, and Ryan Gray
Knife crime in London has hit a record high and more could be done to combat the youth of London carrying knives, Islington residents said today.
Knife crime in London has slowly turned into the social norm within communities, with more than 20 teenagers dying in London from stabbings this year alone. Many observers say gang violence is the main culprit, with youths carry knives for protection, aggression, and social respect amongst their peers.
“One of my friends was in Elephant and Castle, and some older guys were chasing him, he didn’t have his friends to protect him, and he got stabbed outside the station earlier this year. He died in hospital,” says 17-year old Kevin Paez-Ortega.
Sadly, friends often cannot fend off attackers. Jodie Chesney, 17, was in a park in Harold Hill, Romford listening to music with friends when she got stabbed in the back by a silent attacker. Two teenagers, who mistook her for a rival, according to Metropolitan Police, have been convicted of her murder.
This story is not uncommon because the number of teenage victims are peaking since the past 11 years, according to the Metropolitan Police. In 2019, 23 of the 25 teenage homicides in London were done by stabbing, compared to 2011, where only just above ten homicides were related to knife crime.
With teenagers carrying weapons and becoming more heavily involved in knife crime, what is being done within communities to tackle this issue on their doorstep?
“It’s largely due to resources, and resources have been hugely cut everywhere. London has seen dangerous cuts in funding to youth centres,” says the head of church and leader of Tottenham Hale community centre, Father Andrew Williams, 52.
“Many community centres have been closed, leaving the kids nowhere to go. This is when we get issues,” he said.
“It is about the kids having something to do, and it’s also an opportunity to engage and talk with them. It’s also an opportunity to get involved with kids who have been involved in knife crime themselves and turned the corner. They’re able to offer advice to the kids from their perspective – which is much better.”
Teenagers are far from the only victims of knife crime. According to the Metropolitan Police, in the years of 2018 and 2019, nearly 15,000 knife crimes were recorded in London, all ages mixed. In the year ending in March 2019, there were over 47,0000 offences involving a knife or a sharp instrument in England and Wales according to the Briefing Paper of the House of Commons library.
“A lot of people that I know have been stabbed. It’s not even an uncommon thing anymore, and it’s sad. I don’t think the government is helping the problem,” said Ortega.
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