Knife-related crime drops in London

The Metropolitan Police's campaign to tackle knife crime among London youths delivered signs of success as the force announced that stabbings, murders and other knife-related crimes had fallen in the year since Operation Blunt 2 began.

The figures show that, since the operation started in May last year, the number of youths suffering serious stab wounds in London has fallen by 30 per cent, from 221 to 155, while overall knife crime, which includes any offence where a blade has been used, has fallen by 11.5 per cent - from 13,874 incidents to 12,279. Police have stopped and searched 287,898 people in the capital, leading to 10,266 arrests - one every 51 minutes.