Another young life lost, another family in grief, another neighbourhood in shock. Police have named 15-year-old Leonard Reid as one victim of a double stabbing in Archway, north London. Another victim, agd 23, has not been named. The news comes days after Victor Lee, 17, was found dead in a west London section of the Grand Union Canal, after suffering from stab wounds.
London does not appear to be on course for a repeat of 2021, which broke the record for the most teen homicides in a single year. Nevertheless, these deaths are a shocking reminder of a familiar violence impacting our city.
The Evening Standard supports the judicious and intelligence-led use of stop-and-search, as one of the key tools police possess to prevent stabbings once someone has decided to carry a knife. This newspaper has also long called for a public health approach to knife crime, since adopted by the Mayor, as a way of tackling the underlying causes. But this will require a whole-city effort.
Violence, and the pervasive anxiety that surrounds it, has seeped into our city and this ought to be a top-tier issue in next year’s mayoral election. Londoners want to know what Sadiq Khan, or any of his rivals, will do to address this senseless loss of life.
Back our young people
The Standard’s Step Up Expo has been hailed as a huge success. Thousands of teenagers packed London Olympia to speak with colleges and employers to help them navigate the minefield of school choices, apprenticeships and career options.
More than 100 organisations exhibited at the event, including top higher education institutions University College London and City University, as well as employers such as British Airways, the London Ambulance Service and the Met Police shared their expertise.
There is so much potential in our young people — this event is one small but concrete way the Standard is making a big difference to them and to our city.
We’re lost in music
From Nineties pop stars and rockers all the way to South Korean phenomenoms, there was something for practically every music fan in London this weekend.
The capital played host to acts from Take That to Pulp, Def Leppard and Blackpink among other great performers and there are reviews aplenty in this newspaper. With more to come this month, has there ever been a better time to be a music fan?
