MURDER IN THE SUBURBS: Enfield becomes worst London borough for youth gang-related violence

BRAWL: Masked gang members brawl inside McDonald's in Edmonton on Saturday

SUBURBAN Enfield has become the worst London borough for serious youth and gang violence after a spate of shocking attacks.

The latest serious attack came on Saturday when two men, aged 18 and 20, were stabbed during a large fight in a McDonald's in Fore Street, Edmonton, at 11.46pm.

A night earlier at 6.56pm police were called to reports of a stabbing at Edmonton Bus Station.

SCENES: Police in Fore Street on Saturday (top) and paramedics at Edmonton Bus Station on Friday

A 17-year-old boy was repeatedly stabbed and faces life-changing injuries.

On December 18 a man was shot dead in his living room after three men allegedly burst into the property.

Richard Odunze-Dim, 20, died after being blasted in the face - there have been six men aged 17 to 24 arrested but no charges.

It came a month after three men were injured after two men fired at a minicab with a shot gun.

And 24 hours after that incident four men were stabbed in Fraser Road in a suspected reprisal attack.

SHOOTING: The scene in Gordon Road after a minicab was blasted in November

The gang violence is centred in and around the Notorious Edmonton Green Shopping Centre.

Councillors heard the borough has become the worst for serious youth violence in London.

Serious youth violence began to spike in October and November.

There had been 397 serious youth violence offences in Enfield in the year to November 2018 which was an 8.8 per cent rise on the previous year, while across London the same sort of crime fell by 5.2 per cent over the same period.

But the number of serious youth violence offences in Enfield dropped by 23 in December, from the previous month, after more police were drafted in.

The Met Police drafted in officers from other areas to deal with an "emergency situation" across Enfield last month, and it saw crime levels instantly drop.

Enfield Council's crime scrutiny panel heard on Thursday that "serious youth violence" fell in the borough last month after extra police numbers were deployed.

Superintendent Nigel Brookes said officers were brought in from the Met Police’s Territorial Support Group, while, police officers from other parts of the borough converged on crime hotspots, including Edmonton Green.

It has led to renewed claims that police budget cuts are responsible for the current Wild West Britain crime epidemic.

KNIFE ATTACKS: This was the scene after four men were stabbed in Fraser Road in November

Nationally, there has been widespread speculation that the rising number of violent offences is down to the cuts which saw around 21,000 police officers taken off the streets from 2010.

Officials in Enfield believe upping police numbers does instantly cut crime.

Andrea Clemons, council head of community safety, said December’s reduction “may very well be linked to a higher number of police officers patrolling the borough.”

The increased police presence also coincided with a reduction in a number of other crimes, including other gang-related offences, hate crime, non-domestic violence and anti-social behaviour.

NOTORIOUS: The distinctive high-rise tower blocks at Edmonton Green

Lee David-Sanders, chairman of the scrutiny panel, said it was clear high-visibility policing had helped reduce crime, but Enfield remained the worst of out 32 London boroughs for youth violence.

He said: "Most of the problems are concentrated around Edmonton Green. There have been shootings and stabbings and robberies. It is a highly accessible area with the A10 and

CONCERNS: Councillor David Lee-Sanders

M25 to the north and the North Circular. While Hackney and Haringey have seen reductions in crime we have seen it move further out to Enfield."

Joan Ryan, Labour MP for Enfield North, said: "The rise in knife crime and serious youth violence demonstrates we have a serious issue and it needs to be addressed.

"Our borough commander is doing all she can but you can't do it if the resources are not there."