London-the stabbing capital of England.

Residents across Havering are waking up to the news that a man in his 40s is in a life threatening condition after being stabbed yesterday evening in Harold Hill. The saddest part is most people will not be shocked and actually not even raise an eyebrow but probably state ‘another stabbing’. It is unfortunately part of everyday life just as it seems to be the norm for teenagers to go out armed with knives as horrifying as that is.

On August 4, a 15 year old boy lost his life to knife crime in a park in Islington. Deshaun Tuitt became the youngest person to die this year in the capital. He was stabbed just before 9pm as seventy teenagers gathered in a park.

On Tuesday 16 August, 87 year old Thomas O’Halloran was fatally stabbed as he rode his mobility scooter in Greenford. A defenceless pensioner who had been raising funds for Ukrainian refugees- brutally stabbed in broad daylight. He managed to ride 75 yards on to ask a member of the public for help.

These incidents have shocked the country, a child and a pensioner have lost their life to knife crime so tragically on the streets of London. Yet where is the outrage from leaders across London? Where are their voices now?

Last year the police in London recorded 11,122 knife or sharp instrument offences, a rise from the year before. In 2021 London also recorded the highest number of teenage deaths attributed to knife or gun crime. The capital saw 30 male teenagers aged between 14- 19 years old die on our streets. Now, an 87 year old pensioner has also lost his life to knife crime.

These horrors have shocked the country, people cannot believe that children and defenceless pensioners are dying and no one is urgently addressing the knife crime issue.

Footage of youths armed with machetes is common, youths threatening to stab each other up is common, doctors treating stab wounds is endless. The list is long and goes on.

Blaming the police is of course the easiest way to justify this nightmare, yet ironically it is the police that are first on scene and police officers who provide life saving first aid until ambulance crews arrive. It is also Met Police Officers who work tirelessly across the capital with many anti knife crime organisations and groups to stop the battle of knife crime.

The Met have many gang and youth engagement officers that work everyday with youths to stop these horrors. The Havering Daily has worked with many youth engagement officers across East Area who do fantastic work in our community. The list of officers who have excellent relations across the capital with our youths is a long one and the work they do is vital.

However, it is them and anti knife crime campaigners that are tackling this nightmare on their own. Money is thrown here and there to stop knife crime but what is it actually achieving? These two incidents have shown the reality of our society. We have teenagers who fear for their lives and now pensioners who are going to be scared to leave their home in broad daylight.

These fatalities should be called out now- but they are not. Communities are in shock and yet no word from the capital’s leaders.