Spate of violence in south London sets the city on track for worst year of teenage killings

Wandsworth Police yesterday joined forces with a local youth charity and implored the local community to help stop violence among teenagers, hours before a man in his twenties was shot dead in Balham.

Last Thursday a man was stabbed on Cedars Road shortly before another was fatally stabbed in Streatham. On Sunday, a 14-year-old boy was arrested after a 13-year-old boy was stabbed on Prentis Road in Putney.

Two of these were not fatal but since the start of this year, 17 teens have been killed in London, fifteen with knives and if teenage deaths continue at their current rate, this will be the worst year for young homicides in over a decade.

In a post shared on Facebook the Met said: "Serious violence offences have declined by 22% over the past year and overall the murder rate is down.

However, we have seen an increase in the murder of teenagers, with 17 being murdered so far this year.

If London continues to see this rate of violence we will be on track to see the worst year for young homicides since 2008.

"Every single murder is a tragedy, but they are not spread evenly either geographically or by age and ethnicity. Of these young victims, more than two thirds (12) are black and 15 were killed with a knife. We are extremely concerned about this and are calling on every Londoner to play their part to prevent further needless killings.

Mother of teenager murdered in Brixton urges the community to help Lambeth police "because our kids are being killed."

Pastor Lorraine Jones, whose son Dwayne Simpson was killed in 2014, has also backed the Met's call for community action.

In a powerful video she posted on Twitter yesterday (June 17) which Lambeth Police retweeted, she said: "I want people to look at themselves right now, because our kids are being killed.

They're being wounded, they're being stabbed, they're being shot. And it takes the whole community to step up.

"The police are not the answer to this. They can't solve it. That's why it's still going on. But we've got families that know what is going on in their homes."

Speaking to the BBC, she said: "As a mother who has lost her son through the senseless killings caused by youth violence, I plead with all communities, families, local authorities, social services, schools and faith groups to step up and engage more with our troubled youth before it results in violence.

"The police cannot solve this problem alone. The next child could be yours or someone you know. The wall of silence can only be broken by us."

The Met has announced it will be operating a multi-layered approach over the summer to "suppress violence" and end "needless killings".

Lambeth Cllr Jacqui Dyer in a recent message to the community urged everyone in the borough to look out for those at risk and take up council offers of support.

Cllr Dyer said: "Horrific outbreaks of serious and high-profile violence have been seen in the borough over the last two week in Brixton, Loughborough Junction, Clapham and Streatham.

"I'm calling on everyone in this borough to bring our collective focus, our efforts and our determination to help prevent any further trauma and deep grief being inflicted upon our communities."

In addition to their Summer Violence Prevention Program, Cllr Dyer announced Lambeth council will be launching a summer grants scheme for community groups to put on events that meet local needs.

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