As it happened: Knife crime in London: What can be done?

Goodbye

BBC London

That concludes our special knife crime coverage from Wood Green in Haringey where we've heard from campaigners and youngster affected by knife crime in the capital.

You can discuss the issue further on our Facebook page

Have a good evening.

Campaigner explains how knife amnesties work

BBC

Campaigner Faron Paul organises knife amnesties to help tackle the issue and explained how they work.

"Young people get in touch with me and if they've got weapons which they no longer want and they want to get rid of me, I'll be that person they go to."

The weapons are then melted down and recycled into other products.

He says all campaigners, groups and authorities "need to come together and create a bridge where the younger children can speak to them... so they can get on a better path".

'Early intervention prevention is key'

Ms Lawson runs a foundation in her son's name to tackle knife crime in Haringey.

She says early intervention prevention was "really key to everything we do.

"Trying to catch those who are at risk before they get into criminality

'I couldn't imagine knife crime would continue to escalate'

Yvonne Lawson, who lost her son Godwin to a knife attack in 2010, is among those working in the local community to tackle knife crime.

She says she could "never once imagine knife crime could continue to escalate" since she lost her son.

"It's heartbreaking, it's horrifying," she said.

Watch: How can you save a stabbing victim?

Micheal Carver is the lead nurse for Violence Reduction at The Royal London Hospital.

BBC London visited The Royal London Hospital to find out about how the staff cope with knife crime.

Michael Carver, the lead nurse for Violence Reduction at the hospital, explains what happens when someone is stabbed and what you need to do to help save them.

'We were able to speak for those involved in knife crime'

BBC

Jordan, who was also part of the film, believes it was important that young people were behind I'm Out.

"We were able to speak for these people who are part of gangs, who are going through these things.

"We understand them... We were able to be that voice which is normally blocked out."

'Knife crime doesn't just target the victim'

Ronni also acts in the film and has experienced knife crime in the capital having known somebody who was stabbed.

She plays the girlfriend of a victim in I'm Out.

"Knife crime doesn't just target the victim. It targets everybody around that and it's so much of a personal experience," she said.

On the streets with officers tackling knife crime

BBC London

On the streets with the officers tackling knife crime

Last month the Met Police announced it would be flooding hotspot areas with extra resources to crack down on knife crime.

Katherine Carpenter went to see how it is working.

'This is such a big issue'

BBC

Leyla is one of the stars of I'm Out.

She said she got involved in it because "this is such a big issue and it's been going on for so long".

She explains how she had a personal experience as somebody in the house opposite where she lives was stabbed to death.

"You think that could have been you, that could have been you're family, that could have been anyone you know," she said.

'I still try to call his phone to speak to him'

BTP

Tashan Daniel was fatally stabbed in Hillingdon Tube station last year

One of the people who were stabbed to death in London last year was Tashan Daniel.

The 20-year-old was killed in Hillingdon Tube station on 24 September while he was on his way to Arsenal's Emirates Stadium for his first solo trip to see his favourite team Arsenal.

His best friend Leon Haque explains how Mr Daniel's death still affects him.

Tashan Daniel: Best friend speaks about stabbing aftermath

Council's 'creative approach' to tackling youth violence

BBC

Tonight's knife crime programme is coming from the Cineworld Cinema in Wood Green where a special screening of a film about the issue is taking place.

I'm Out is a series of three films made by young people in Haringey in conjunction with the local council which examines the impact of youth violence on those involved and the people close to them.

Haringey Council said it had "decided to take this creative approach to address the problem and reach out to young people on the cusp of getting involved in youth crime".

Those starring in the film also helped script and produce it.

www.imout.org.uk

Watch: On the wards with a London knife injury surgeon

Knife crime: On the wards with a London surgeon

The trauma team at the Royal London Hospital in east London is one of the busiest in Europe, dealing with knife and gun attacks.

Last year the BBC's Clive Myrie was given exclusive access to their work over a period of several months.

Knives 'hidden in parks to sidestep stop and search'

Met Police

As well as forcing young women to help them, gangs are stashing knives in parks as police use stop and search more.

The head of the Metropolitan Police Violent Crime Taskforce said knives are being found on a daily basis.

Eight knives and 50 wraps of cocaine were found in a sweep of a children's playground in north London over three days in January.

Det Ch Supt Lee Hill, who heads the unit, said: "These knives could have fallen into the wrong hands, or worse acquired by young children."

Watch: 'People I grew up with have lost their lives'

BBC London

Knife crime: 'People I grew up with have lost their lives'

While knife crime often leads the headlines, some victims are hidden from society.

Figures show more than 1,000 young women and girls are known to be used or victimised by gang members, some of them as young as 10.

They're forced to carry weapons or drugs and some are sexually or physically abused.

Tarah Welsh spoke to Lucy Martindale who used to be involved with a gang and is now working to support vulnerable girls.

Find out more here.

Number of homicides rose in London last year

BBC

Last year, the Met Police launched 149 homicide investigations with more than half of those being the result of stabbings.

The British Transport Police led three murder investigations on the London Underground network and Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones were both stabbed to death in the City of London on 29 November.

It meant the overall figure for London for 2019 rose to its highest level since 2008, when there were 154 homicides.

The increase in the number of killings in the capital was in contrast to the rest of the country, with the number of people killed in the UK falling for the first time in five years.

Of the 650 homicides which happened in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2019, 257 of those were stabbings.

'Our kids are feared': One community on knife crime

'Our kids are feared': Knife crime's impact on one London borough

Knife crime affects entire communities across London.

The borough of Haringey has one of the highest rates of knife crime in the capital.

Last year the BBC's Clive Myrie heard from community members - including teachers, a retired policewoman, a bus driver and a social worker - about their experiences and perceptions of knife crime.

A week in the life of a London trauma surgeon

Sam Francis

BBC News, London

Karim Brohi

Every 75 minutes, someone in London is admitted to hospital with traumatic injuries, according to the capital's ambulance service.

Last year a London Trauma System's clinical director kept a week-long diary for BBC London describing life on the ward.

He wrote about the moment he held a stabbed man's heart in his hands and how rising knife crime is "taking its toll" on the healthcare system.

Read Prof Karim Brohi's account of his time on the ward here.

Knife possession offences reach record high

AFP

After falling for several years, knife crime in England and Wales has been rising again with the number of people cautioned or convicted for carrying knives reaching record levels.

According to data from the Ministry of Justice, there were 14,135 offences in the year to September 2019 - the most since the data was first compiled in 2007.

When possession offences involving other weapons were added, the total was almost 22,300 - the most since 2009.

The MoJ figures showed that for most offenders (71%) this was their first crime of this kind.

Welcome to the BBC London knife crime special

BBC London

BBC

Home affairs correspondent Katharine Carpenter rehearsing ahead of BBC London's knife crime special in Wood Green

At 18:30 BBC London News comes live from Wood Green with a special programme looking at knife crime in the capital.

We'll be hearing from young people who are taking a stand against the problem along with families affected by it.

Experts will also be looking at what can be done to tackle the issue.

We'll be covering what happens here or you can watch the programme live on BBC iPlayer.