Horror at wave of London stabbings

Sir Ian Blair and Boris Johnson were speaking after a 19-year-old became the 20th teenager to be killed in the capital this year and a further three men were stabbed to death.

Met Commissioner Sir Ian said the deaths were tragic and reassured the public that the police were doing all they can to rid the streets of knives.

He said: "There has been a tragic death toll from knife crime in London over a 24-hour period. Each is an absolute tragedy and my thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims. The dreadful loss of life in just 24 hours graphically illustrates the need for everyone to pull together to put an end to the unacceptable violence"

Mr Johnson said he was appalled by the stabbings and the whole of society needed to take responsibility for tackling knife crime.

He also reiterated his support for the Evening Standard's Beat Knife Crime campaign which calls for more highprofile searches and tougher sentences.

Mr Johnson has put tackling violence among teenagers at the top of his agenda.

In May, police launched the second anti-knife crime initiative, Operation Blunt 2, under which there have been more than 1,000 arrests and 732 knives seized so far.

Last week a 75-strong Operation Blunt 2 task force was announced which searched 5,395 people and recovered 231 knives in its first four days.

Today Mr Johnson said: " I am appalled by these attacks, and would like to express my profound sadness and sympathy for the families and friends of the victims.

"Tackling violent crime is my number one priority and I'm keen to explore everything and anything which could help combat it. I am in favour of any campaign that comes up with sensible and proactive ways to rid our streets of the problem.

"We need to do all we can to address the long-term, complex root causes of violence as well as ensuring the police are providing an effective deterrent to those who carry knives and guns.

"We are in this together and we all need to take responsibility. That's why we are talking to the Government about bringing forward new measures that will help address the underlying causes of knife violence."

Hemet Home Secretary Jacqui Smith yesterday and said he had encouraged her to develop a Youth Crime Action Plan to be announced next week.

The Mayor has also argued for tougher sentences. His remarks echo Tory leader David Cameron who said last week that anybody caught with a blade without reasonable excuse should face jail. Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority Len Duvall said police and others were doing all they could.

Latest official statistics show fewer than one in five of those caught with a blade get a custodial sentence, despite the maximum penalty doubling to four years recently. Only a handful get more than a few months in jail.

Gordon Brown announced last month that anyone over 16 caught with a knife should be prosecuted, rather than escaping with a caution.