London teen murder toll hits 30 - one died two minutes after the latest was stabbed

AT 7.34pm yesterday (December 30) the 30th teenager in London to be murdered this year was stabbed in Hillingdon, West London.

Two minutes later at 7.36pm a 15-year-old stabbed 25 miles away in Croydon, south London, at 7pm drew his last breath and was pronounced dead at the scene in Ashburton Park, making him the 29th teen killed this year.

At 8.25pm the 16-year-old stabbed at Hillingdon, was also pronounced dead at the scene.

The previous record number of teens murdered in the capital was 29 in 2008.

The Met does not appear to be linking the two most recent murders.

A spokesman said: "A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a 16-year-old boy in Hillingdon.

"Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 7.34pm on Thursday, December 30 to reports of an injured male at the Philpotts Farm Open Space close to Heather Lane in Yiewsley.

"Officers attended and found a 16-year-old suffering from a puncture wound. Despite the efforts of paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.25pm.

"His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.

"Formal identification has not taken place. A post-mortem examination will be held in due course.

"Detectives from the Specialist Crime Command are investigating. There have been no arrests and enquiries continue."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting reference CAD 5666/30Dec. To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The Met news release about the Croydon murder was chillingly similar, as have so many of the others been over the year.

A spokesman said: "Detectives are investigating after a teenager was found with stab injuries in Croydon.

Shortly after 7pm on Thursday, December 30, police were made aware of an assault in Ashburton Park, Croydon.

"Officers attended and found a 15-year-old boy suffering from stab injuries. Officers immediately provided first aid prior to the arrival of the London Ambulance Service.

"Despite their efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene at 19:36hrs. His next of kin have been informed.

"Formal identification has not taken place. A post-mortem examination will be held in due course.

"Detectives from the Specialist Crime Command have been informed.

"A crime scene remains in place.

"At this early stage, there have been no arrests and enquiries continue."

Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 quoting reference CAD 5443/30Dec. To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Commander Alex Murray, (top image) lead for violence in London, issued a statement in response to the murders.

He 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.

“These devastating losses continue to motivate every single officer at the Met to catch those responsible, bring justice to their families and take weapons off the street.

“We are devoting huge resources into preventing homicides and violence from happening in the first place.

“A great deal of work has already begun and plans are in motion for the new year ahead. We are using existing and innovative tactics, proactive operations, and all the powers available to us to ensure we are doing everything we can within the scope of policing to deal with violence in all its forms.

This includes:-

Violence Suppression Units (VSU) in all 12 Basic Command Units across London working locally
Pan-London resources such as the Violent Crime Taskforce (VCTF) and Territorial Support Group (TSG)
Specialist Crime Detectives working to dismantle gangs, and remove drugs, knives and guns
Murder Investigations Teams seeking justice for the victims and their families
Ongoing partnership work including with the Violence Reduction Unit to better understand the causes of violence and find solutions
Intervention and diversion initiatives through youth engagement and safer schools officers
Programmes such as Divert that works within our custody suites to offer young people alternative options.
Our work developing the award-winning “Hard Calls Save Lives” Campaign with Crimestoppers and mothers of young murder victims to encourage others provide information about anyone involved in knife crime or violence

“Our continued efforts are having a collective impact, with data showing reductions across serious violent crime categories. This year to November 2021, compared with the same period prior to the pandemic in 2019, has seen: knife crime decrease by 32 per cent and knife injury victims aged under 25 reduce by 29 per cent.

“Nevertheless, I know, this will be of little comfort to those who have lost a loved one and there is of course more to be done.

“Tackling violence remains our top priority and we are committed to making London safer but we know that reducing violent crime relies on joint efforts from across communities and agencies which is why we continue to work with our partners and the community to find lasting solutions. 

“We encourage the public to call us on 101, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, with any information they may have about violent crime in their area – any information, no matter how small could build a picture that could save a life. Crimestoppers will never trace your call and will keep your identity 100 per cent anonymous.”