Record number of teen homicides in London
The number of teenage homicide victims in London during 2021 has broken previous records following the death of two boys on the same day.
During 2008 there were 29 killings but the latest deaths mean the total for this year is now 30.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) were called to Philpotts Farm Open Space in Yiewsley at 7.30pm on Thursday (December 30th), where the boy was found suffering from a stab wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.25pm.
Detectives say his next of kin have been informed. Formal identification has yet to take place and a post-mortem examination will be held in due course.
The stabbing occurred less than an hour after another in the south of the capital, which claimed the life of a 15-year-old boy.
In that incident, police were called to Ashburton Park, Croydon, shortly after 7pm and gave first aid to the boy before the ambulance service arrived. The teenager was pronounced dead at 7.36pm.
No arrests have been made in either case.
MPS Commander Alex Murray said: “I am deeply saddened by every single homicide this year, and greatly concerned by those that have been teenage killings. Each one is a tragedy leaving behind heartbroken families and distressed communities.
“My thoughts are with the victims and all those impacted. They are not statistics, not just numbers, they all have families, and they all should have had their lives ahead of them.
“They and their families have been robbed of something precious and we should all be doing everything we can to stop this,” he said.
He added that the police were devoting “huge resources” to preventing homicides and said the MPS was not “complacent” about knife crime.
