Hundreds arrested in knife crackdown

More than 1,200 people have been arrested in a crackdown on knife crime in London.Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said 528 knives were seized as 26,777 searches were carried out during Operation Blunt 2.The blitz was launched by Sir Ian in response to a wave of killings, particularly among teenagers, in the capital. He unveiled the figures alongside London Mayor Boris Johnson at City Hall.They came as four teenagers remain in custody after being arrested by detectives investigating the murder of 16-year-old Ben Kinsella.Hundreds of people, including friends and relatives of the young student, took to the streets to demand an end to knife crime.The new figures revealed that 1,214 people were arrested for possession of weapons and other knife-related crimes between May 19 and June 29.Many were recovered during stop and search operations in high streets and at transport hubs, while others were found in weapons stashes.Sir Ian said the stabbing of Ben in Islington at the weekend showed "the problem of knife crime is still with us".He said: "I know the communities of London understand that this is something they and the police have to solve together."I promise that the Met is in this for the long haul and we will do everything in its power to stop these murders continuing."Mr Johnson said Operation Blunt is only one area in which the authorities are working to make London safer.He said: "Everybody is shocked by the level of violence we are seeing, particularly towards young people in London, and we must all work as hard as we can together to reverse this dreadful trend."Earlier, Home secretary Jacqui Smith vowed to tackle knife crime.She said: "This is only something that we can solve if we come together - Government, police, young people, community groups - in the same way that we've done tackling guns and gangs."Meanwhile, a woman has died after being stabbed in south east London.The victim, believed to be in her 20s, received a wound to her upper body during the attack at around 11pm near Peckham High Street.

ITN | July 2, 2008

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