Police have carried out more stop-and-search operations for weapons in Southwark over the past year than in any other London borough, according to Met figures.
Officers stopped people 3,596 times in Southwark on suspicion of carrying dangerous weapons from May 2020-April 2021. Neighbouring Lambeth was in second place, with 3,179. North of the river, Westminster, Newham and Hackney made up the rest of the grim top five.
Stop and searches for weapons in the borough went down by nearly a fifth in Southwark from the same period a year earlier, when police carried out 4,367 searches.
Southwark was third for stop and search overall over the past year, behind Westminster and Newham. Other reasons for searches include anti-social behaviour and suspected drugs crimes.
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Meanwhile the borough had the third-highest rate of knife carrying in London over the same period, with 0.48 per 1,000 people – behind Lambeth and Westminster. In raw numbers Southwark was second, with a total of 152 offences from May last year to April this year, behind Lambeth with 177 and equal with Croydon.
Outer boroughs like Bexley, Richmond-upon-Thames, Merton and Barnet tended to have lower knife crime rates over the same period.
The figures come after the Met Police ran a targeted operation over the last week of April and the start of May to seize knives and tackle violent crime rates. Officers recovered 411 knives, including machetes, so-called “Rambo knives”, lock knives and kitchen knives. Some 994 people were arrested, and 31 people were referred to advice programmes to help them change their ways.
Commander Alex Murray, the Met’s lead officer for violent crime, said: “The results from this operation highlight the Met’s dedication and commitment to tackling violent crime, and I’m convinced that with us seizing so many knives, we have prevented further stabbings. As we move forward into the summer months, reducing violence and saving lives will remain our top policing priority.
“The recent incidents of violence we have seen in London reminds us exactly why operations like this are so important. While this operation may have ended, be assured that our officers will continue to be out on the streets every single day, carrying out these activities and using every tactic available to them to prevent violent crime.”