A man was fatally shot to death in London Sunday evening at the same location a woman was stabbed to death minutes earlier; raising new questions over safety and security across the UK’s capital.
“A mum-of-one was stabbed to death last night just yards away from a fatal shooting.
The victim was knifed in the chest outside a tower block in Chalk Farm, near Camden in north London at around 11pm,” reports the UK’s Mirror newspaper. “Met Police and paramedics dashed to the scene and, though CPR was administered, they were unable to save the woman. The mum of a six-year-old boy was believed to be in her 20s and has been named locally as Shakirs.”
“She was part of everyone’s life, she helped everyone,” said one local. “She was part of my family. She was lovely.”
#Camden
MURDER: A young man in his 20s has been shot dead in #KentishTown north-west London.Met Police say they were called to Malden Road, #NW5 just before midnight.
The victim was found with a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene at 00.10.
More below. pic.twitter.com/JYcNYOB0jC
— London 999 Feed (@999London) September 9, 2019
#Camden
MURDER: A second murder investigation has been launched in north-west London after a young woman in her 20s was stabbed to death in #ChalkFarm last night.Met Police say they were called at 11.13pm to Belmont Street, #NW1.
Continued below. pic.twitter.com/tub8FmKwoC
— London 999 Feed (@999London) September 9, 2019
“Minutes after the stabbing, just yards away, a man was shot dead in what is believed to be an unrelated murder in Kentish Town,” adds the report.
Authorities say there is no link between the two murders.
Read the full report here.
ANARCHY IN THE UK: British Criminals Now ‘Stealing Knives’ from Police Amnesty Bins
Local criminals found new ways to obtain knives and other weapons across the United Kingdom this week; with a stash of the deadly contraband being reportedly taken from police amnesty bins outside the capital.
“Avon and Somerset Constabulary installed the ‘knife surrender bin’ following a 52 per cent spike in knife crime across the force area in the past year,” reports the Somerset County Gazette. “But a day later the bin in Weston-super-Mare was broken into and the knives were taken.”
Haul of knives stolen from police knife amnesty bin. (Via @CountyGazette) https://t.co/7TF04DcK3h
— Jason Evans 🏴 🇪🇺 (@EvansTheCrime) March 30, 2019
The incident comes as officials across the UK move to clampdown on violent crime.
The spike in homicides brought London’s murder rate higher than New York City’s for the first time in recorded history.
Read the full report here.
ANARCHY IN THE UK: London Police Increase Patrols After Four People Murdered Over the Weekend
London’s Metropolitan Police Department ramped-up security patrols across the UK capital Monday; dispatching more officers after a weekend of violence left four people dead and more injured.
“The murders of at least four people in as many days have triggered a massive investigation by London police and an increase of patrols across the British capital in a bid to stem the eruption of violence,” reports Fox News.
We have been using a number of operational tactics in targeted locations to prevent further violence and to provide reassurance to the communities in those areas,” said Deputy Assistant Matthew Twist.
“Twist’s update comes as London police race to investigate a spate of deaths since Friday, when, in separate incidents, an 18-year-old man was fatally stabbed and 19-year-old Eniola Aliko was shot dead,” adds Fox.
The bloodshed comes days after an English country introduced a new program to replace “kitchen knives” with “blunt-edged utensils” to crackdown on violence.
“Blunt utensils will replace kitchen knives in the homes of victims of domestic violence. It’s hoped it will help save lives – what do you think?” posted British news channel ITV.
Blunt utensils will replace kitchen knives in the homes of victims of domestic violence. It's hoped it will help save lives – what do you think ? https://t.co/Nzzetda9nM pic.twitter.com/837UHM5wxf
— ITV News Central (@ITVCentral) June 12, 2019
“Nottinghamshire Police is piloting a scheme where victims of domestic violence will have their kitchen knives replaced with blunt utensils, to help stop partners attacking them in their own home,” reports ITV.
“We are trialing it to see if it makes a difference. Sometimes you have to trial things to see if they work. Anything that stops someone being seriously injured is a good idea,” said Nottinghamshire Police Superintendent Matt McFarlane.
A UK Member of Parliament demanded strict new policies to crackdown on violent crime throughout the United Kingdom earlier this year; calling for the implementation of a “GPS tracker” in every knife sold in the country.
“Every knife sold in the UK should have a gps tracker fitted in the handle. It’s time we had a national database like we do with guns. If you’re carrying it around you had better have a bloody good explanation, obvious exemptions for fishing etc,” tweeted MP Scott Mann.
Every knife sold in the UK should have a gps tracker fitted in the handle. It’s time we had a national database like we do with guns. If you’re carrying it around you had better have a bloody good explanation, obvious exemptions for fishing etc.
— Scott Mann #StayHomeSaveLives (@scottmann4NC) March 14, 2019
Mann’s comments come as the UK struggles to clamp down on knife crime across London and beyond as homicide rates soar to record levels across the country.
London’s murder rate topped New York City’s for the first time in recorded history last year, with knife crime the leading cause of homicide across the United Kingdom.