It's hard to believe that 50 people have lost their lives already in 2018 in London alone because of knife crime. It's a growing issue in England's capital and no one seems to be able to come up with a decent solution to curb the concerning trend.
But a bunch of people have done their bit to raise awareness for the lives lost and to encourage people to put the knives down.
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Thousands of people took to the streets of London yesterday for the #BikesUpKnivesDown campaign, riding from London Bridge to Oxford Street.
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It was organised by two people who reckon biking can bring people together. One of the organisers, MAC, told the Independent: "This is the biggest ride out for the youth against knife crime.
"We want people to put the guns down, put the knives down and for everyone to love their life, live their life and be peaceful and respectful. Never leave your house with a bad intention."
The other promoter added to the news site: "We're not here to cause trouble. Everyone thinks we are, but we're not. Some of the people here used to be involved in knife crime, but since they got on their bikes, they switched their lives around and stopped using knives."
While it was an important message they were sending to the wider community, they were criticised on social media for not riding safely. People said there were plenty of riders without helmets and some were dangerously weaving through traffic and going through red lights.
The initiative was supported by the Metropolitan Police, who had several officers there to keep a handle on the situation - which is pretty standard for a protest of that size.
One of the most heart-breaking stories of knife crime in London came this week when six teenagers were stabbed across four boroughs in just 90 minutes of each other. The youngest victim was reportedly 13 years old.
Three teenagers were also admitted to hospital following an attack in Mile End around 6pm. Two of the victims are reported to have been aged 15, and were both in a serious but stable condition.
Scotland Yard Commissioner Cressida Dick has assured the community that police are doing everything they can to get a handle on the spiralling knife crime figures.
She said: "You will see us being even more pro-active out on the streets. We will have a greater presence in the hotspots of violence and a focused effort, including intelligence-led stop-and-search and the use of specialists in covert tactics.
"We will be looking to target the people we know are the most dangerous and get the intelligence to our local officers which they can use in a fast-time way."
Featured Image Credit: Instagram / @claireymelonTopics: Awesome, News, Knife Crime, UK, London, Protest
