The London Mayor on Monday said he refused to accept that nothing can be done to stem the “appalling” rise of violent crime in the UK, following a spate of shootings in the capital over the weekend.
"The police service in London, like the rest of the country, is overstretched and under-resourced,” Sadiq Khan said in a tweet that followed the shooting of two boys under the age of 16 in north-west London on Sunday.
In one incident, an "innocent" boy, 13, was walking along a sunny street in north-west London with his parents when he was hit with shotgun pellets. Minutes earlier, a 15-year-old was shot in the head nearby, Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Monday.
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While the 13 year old was discharged from a hospital, the second boy is still in the hospital. His head injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
Detective chief superintendent Simon Rose, Harrow Borough commander, called the shootings “callous, reckless and brazen”.
"It would appear that the first victim was approached by two male suspects, one in possession of a shotgun, and shots were fired injuring him and an entirely innocent member of the public,” he said.
Metropolitan Police said there is possibly a third shooting victim believed to have been with the 15-year-old and who was injured in the arm. The victim left before the ambulance arrived.
Police said they arrested a man, 39, who was released pending an investigation.
Two boys injured by shotgun pellets in #Harrow https://t.co/1YjGlp9Pw3 pic.twitter.com/JRPCF4cxDe
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) May 7, 2018
At least two other Londoners were shot over the Bank Holiday weekend, including Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, 17, killed in Southwark. The fifth victim, 22, was shot in Lewisham. His injuries were not life threatening.
Separately, a man in Manchester was injured in a shooting in a residential area on Monday afternoon and brought to a hospital, the Manchester Evening News reported. The shooting is not believed to be fatal.
In another incident in Liverpool over the weekend, a man described as a gang "fixer" was reportedly shot dead by a gunman on a bicycle.
Mr Khan said police were doing "everything they can” to find those responsible for the slew of violence, including setting up a youth fund to tackle the causes of violence.
As Mayor, I refuse to accept nothing can be done to stem the appalling rise of violent crime we are seeing across the country. Together with @metpoliceuk, community groups, victims, their families and Londoners, City Hall will continue to work ceaselessly to tackle violent crime. pic.twitter.com/pAqFm73bNu
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) May 7, 2018
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said violence was robbing too many young people of their futures:
Appalling to hear about children being killed and injured on our streets this Bank Holiday. Serious violence is robbing too many young people of their futures. I will work with anyone determined to tackle it
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) May 7, 2018
Statistics released by the Office for National Statistics in April showed a 22 per cent rise in knife crime in England and Wales in 2017 with almost 40,000 offences involving knives or sharp weapons. Gun crime rose 11 per cent to 6,600 offences. London recorded a 44 per cent increase in the number of killings, with more than 150 victims.
More than 60 people have been killed January 1, 2018.
