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DESPERATE TIMES

Schools forced to install knife arches at the gates as stabbing epidemic grips Wild West Britain

Police have also temporarily been granted increased stop search powers in south London

SCHOOLS will be forced to install knife arches as a horrific epidemic of bloody crimes grips the capital.

Met Police officers will also have the power to stop and search on the streets — without proving reasonable grounds to suspect that person is carrying a weapon.

Knife arches are going to be used at schools across south London in a bid to tackle the growing problem of knife crime in the capital (stock photo)
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Knife arches are going to be used at schools across south London in a bid to tackle the growing problem of knife crime in the capital (stock photo)Credit: Press Association
Blades recovered from the fatal stabbing of a young man in Kentish Town, north west London - the violent crimewave has spread to all corners of the city
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Blades recovered from the fatal stabbing of a young man in Kentish Town, north west London - the violent crimewave has spread to all corners of the cityCredit: Dan Charity - The Sun
Emergency services battling to save the life of a stabbing victim in Stoke Newington, north east London - the man in his 30s didn't survive the attack
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Emergency services battling to save the life of a stabbing victim in Stoke Newington, north east London - the man in his 30s didn't survive the attackCredit: Rex Features

The latest crackdown on weapon carrying has been introduced in Lambeth, Wandsworth and Merton in south London.

Scotland Yard is desperately trying to beat back the surging knife crime trend — which saw a 17-year-old boy stabbed "six times" in broad daylight over the weekend.

Knife arches will be introduced in schools across the three south London boroughs to tackle the growing amount of youth violence.

KNIFE ARCHES IN EFFECT

Chief Superintendent and Basic Command Unit (BCU) for south west London Sally Benatar said: "Knife arches will be in place at schools over the next two weeks and officers have increased reassurance patrols around the Balham area in light of last Wednesday's stabbing.

"We prioritise effective safeguarding, and our schools officers are working hard to protect and educate our young people in the dangers of carrying knives."

Previously cops had to prove reasonable grounds to suspect a person is carrying a weapon to stop and search them.

But now officers in parts of south London will be able to stop and search people in the street for no reason at all.

KNIFE CRIME FIGURES AT A GLANCE

  • The number of homicides, including murder and manslaughter, have risen from 649 to 730 - an increase of 14 per cent
  • Knife crime has also increased by eight per cent
  • The number of admissions to hospital for assault involving a sharp instrument have increased by 15 per cent
  • The rate of robberies have increased by 17 per cent
  • Police have recorded an increase of 41 per cent relating to stalking and harassment offences
  • Overall crime from 12 months to the end of September 2018 went up by seven per cent to a total of 5,723,182

Chief Superintendent Benatar said: "Following these distressing events, we decided to implement the use of stop and search powers using Section 60 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act.

"When it comes to long-term solutions to violent crime, we encourage the proactive use of stop and search where reasonable grounds exist.

"This proves to be one of our most effective means of taking dangerous weapons off the street.

Cops previously used pop-up knife arches across several locations in London to address the bladed weapon epidemic.

Met Police chief Cressida Dick has linked the rising tide of violence with falling police numbers and said she would not rule out asking troops to help battle the menace on London’s streets.

But the issue is not just confined to London, with UK-wide figures showing the number of offences involving knives or sharp instruments increasing by 30 per cent since 2011.

MET'S PRIORITIES

"Tackling violent crime remains a top priority for the Met, and goes hand-in-hand with our particular BCU priorities of putting victims first and preventing harm."

But Section 60 is only a temporary power with a time and geographical limit.

The additional power was introduced in Wandsworth, Merton and Lambeth over the weekend.

Across the two days more than 20 people were stopped in the area where the teenager was stabbed last Wednesday.

The bloody incident was just one episode in a horrific knife crime epidemic plaguing the capital.

On the same day, a 21-year-old man was stabbed to death in a string of four stabbings in just seven hours.

And four days before that rampage, two men in their 20s were rushed to hospital after they were stabbed in East London.

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Figures from the Metropolitan Police showed that knife crime surged by 16 per cent in the capital year-on-year in 2018, as Britain's crime epidemic continues.

There were 1,299 stabbings in London up to the end of April, according to official statistics from Scotland Yard.

In 2017-18, there were 137 knife offences for every 100,000 people in the capital.

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Jaden Moodie was just 14 when he was stabbed to death in Leyton in January
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Jaden Moodie was just 14 when he was stabbed to death in Leyton in JanuaryCredit: Press Association
Nedim Bilgin, 17, was chased along a busy street in the north of the capital before he was stabbed to death in January
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Nedim Bilgin, 17, was chased along a busy street in the north of the capital before he was stabbed to death in January
Jodie Chesney, 17, was knifed to death in a park in Romford in March
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Jodie Chesney, 17, was knifed to death in a park in Romford in MarchCredit: Press Association
David Martinez, 26, was stabbed to death outside his house in Leyton last month
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David Martinez, 26, was stabbed to death outside his house in Leyton last month
A crime scene investigator on the scene of a double stabbing in Hackney
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A crime scene investigator on the scene of a double stabbing in HackneyCredit: Press Association
Knife crime was up 16 per cent in 2016 - these officers are at the scene of a fatal stabbing in Wandsworth last August
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Knife crime was up 16 per cent in 2016 - these officers are at the scene of a fatal stabbing in Wandsworth last AugustCredit: Alamy Live News

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