The number of stop and searches carried out by police in London will be increased, the Met Commissioner said on Wednesday as he vowed to step up efforts to “break the culture of people carrying knives”.
Sir Mark Rowley said it was necessary to give blade carriers “a fear of being caught” and that mothers of murder victims repeatedly questioned why more stop and search was not being carried out.
“Stop and search does work,” Sir Mark told LBC Radio in the wake of figures showing a big drop in such checks and the number of weapons being seized on the streets as a result.
“We are looking at ways to increase our stop and search and will be making some announcements in the coming months. We have to break the culture of people carrying knives and part of that has to be a fear of being caught.
“Young black men growing up in London are 13 times more likely to be murdered than young white men, that’s horrific, we need to come together to solve that problem.
“Part of the answer is stop and search done properly and fairly and compassionately by police. Mothers who have lost their sons always say why can’t the police do more stop and search? That’s why we have to do it.”
It comes after a 14-year-old was killed during a rampage by a sword-weilding man in east London on Tuesday.
Sir Mark said one of two Met officers who suffered injuries nearly lost her hand.
