Commenting on the latest knife attacks affecting Londoners - and especially teenagers - Caroline Pidgeon AM, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, said:
“Just last week we saw the shocking and tragic death of Stefan Appleton in Islington, brutally murdered in front of friends in broad daylight. Since then, there have been six reported stabbings across London, in Hounslow, Barnet, Islington, Hackney, Greenwich and Southwark, an three of which were teenagers were the victims, and one of which ended in the death of twenty year old Tommy Blackmore on Saturday morning. We must do more to protect London’s young people and to address current attitudes so that they put down their knives.
“There are 1,000 victims of knife crime in London every month and 400 of those victims are injured in these attacks. In 2015 alone 6 teenagers have been stabbed to death on our streets, the equivalent of one teenager dying a month. The Mayor and the Met must do more to ensure safety on our streets and to safeguard the lives of those that are at risk.”
“It is time we put tackling knife crime at the top of London’s agenda.”