Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised further measures to
tackle knife crime would be announced on Monday, following on
from the announcement of a 75-strong task force aimed at
tackling knife crime in the capital.
His pledge came as Metropolitan Commissioner Sir Ian Blair
said the recent murders "graphically illustrated" the need for
everyone to pull together to end the spate of deaths.
"There has been a tragic death toll from knife crime in London
over a 24 hour period," he said.
"Four men have been killed - one a teenager - and a fifth
remains critically ill. Each is an absolute tragedy.
"The dreadful loss of life in just 24 hours graphically illustrates
the need for everyone to pull together to put an end to this
unacceptable violence."
Next week, the Home Office is set to release annual police crime statistics for all 43 police forces in England and Wales.
A survey of 24 forces by The Daily Telegraph found that 12 had recorded a jump in murders and two showed no change in their murder figures in the past year.
Although the overall number of murders was up fractionally, six forces saw increases of 50 per cent or more, while the murder rate in North Yorkshire and Norfolk doubled - although they were relatively low.
Metropolitan Police reported the most incidents, with 167 murders in 2007/8, up from 158. There were other big rises in Lancashire, where murders went up by five to 48, and in Avon and Somerset where the number of homicides jumped from 11 to 16.
Overall, the number of murders for the 24 forces surveyed increased from 459 to 461.
Separate figures obtained by the Tories' shadow police reform minister David Ruffley showed that there had been a 21 per cent increase in the numbers of homicides in the past decade, from 609 in 1997 to 734 in 2006/07.
Over the same period, the numbers of male victims rose by 40 per cent, from 395 in 1997 to 547 in 2006/07.
There was also a 29 per cent increase in the numbers killed by sharp instruments, such as knives, from 200 in 1997 to 258 in 2006/07.
Mr Ruffley said: "This makes a mockery of repeated Government promises that violent crime is lower than 10 years ago.
"The Government's claims that violent crime is down just do not measure up with the everyday experience of people in Britain today."
The Daily Telegraph also collected statistics for incidents of violence against the person from 26 forces and found that one in five forces had reported an increase.
Overall, the forces reported 568,000 violent attacks, down six per cent from 607,000 in the year before.
Five forces recorded an increase in numbers of violent crime, with the biggest in Northamptonshire where police recorded a five per cent increase in assaults to 10,610 incidents.
Just three of the 26 forces recorded separate figures for knife crime and the only force to record an increase in knife crime was Thames Valley, which logged 240 incidents, up from 236.
Elsewhere the Metropolitan Police recorded 10,108 incidents, down from 11,717 and Humberside Police recorded 642 incidents, down from 783. Gun crime was also down in all three.
The Met reported the most incidents, with 174,000 incidents of violence against the person, down from 180,000 the year before.
Most of the forces reported crime statistics for the year to the end of March, however three used figures to the end of May and two for the year to the end of June.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was said to be pleased that the violent crime statistics are likely to show a fall.
A Home Office spokesman said: "The British Crime Survey shows that violent crime has fallen by a third over the past 10 years and we are determined to drive it down further."
However experts have cautioned against reading to much into police figures because often people's perceptions of crime can be far worse.
Richard Garside, from the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London, said: "Just because the police are recording less violent offences doesn't necessarily mean less are happening.
It's an absolute joke, that this pathetitic left wing liberal Government can no longer protect the people of this country. Children are being killed or seriously injured on a daily basis through being stabbed with a knife, by another child.
Our Government have lost their way in what they have been put in power for by us the voting British public.
Our Government are put in power to protect the lives of the British people.
This Government, like the last one, are not doing what we, the British people are paying them for.
The British Police Force, or now known as the Police Service, no longer police our streets. They are financially target driven by our Government, that means the Police Service need to bring in money to the Government by arresting mainly motorists, who can pay a fine.
What is the point in arresting a 14 year old boy with a 6 inch bladed knife, when he has no money to pay a fine to the courts.
This country is driven by wealth and power and this Government dosen't give a toss about individuals, unless they are personal to their individual selves.
The same goes for the British people. We get up, send our children to school, go to work, do the shopping in Tesco on Friday evening, go out for the weekend and have a nice family Sunday roast with our children. HOPEFULLY !
payback time