Teenager stabbed to death on eve of UK ‘gang’ knives ban
A teenage boy has died after being stabbed in southeast London, police in the British capital said Monday, before a nationwide ban on “zombie” style weapons to reduce knife crime.
The Metropolitan Police said the boy was found injured after officers were called to a disturbance on a residential street in Woolwich at about 1735 GMT Sunday.
He died a short time later, a statement read.
No further details were released but the youth’s death comes with mounting concern about the numbers of offences involving knives and young people carrying them.
A total of 50,510 offences involving knives were recorded by police in England and Wales in the 12 months to March — up four percent on the previous year.
Of all recorded homicides in the same period, 43 percent involved a knife or a sharp instrument — a two-percent increase on the previous 12 months, statistics showed.
It will be against the law to own “zombie” type knives and machetes from Tuesday, and an amnesty and compensation is in place to hand over the weapons.
The ban involves knives with a blade more than eight inches (20 centimetres) long and those with a serrated cutting edge, which are often used by gangs.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this month launched an initiative to stop young people getting involved in knife crime, which he called a “national crisis”.
He has enlisted the support of actor Idris Elba, who is pushing for government intervention to reverse drastic funding cuts to youth services as a way to end violence.
