London,
21
February
2018
|
16:00
Europe/London

Joint statement on Camden fatal stabbings

Joint statement from the Borough Commander for Camden and Islington Nicholas Davies, Camden Council Leader Councillor Georgia Gould and Keir Starmer MP for Holborn & St Pancras:

Last night two young men were fatally stabbed in Camden in two separate incidents.

It is appalling and deeply sad that these two young people have lost their lives in these circumstances, in the very midst of our communities. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families and everyone who knew these young men. Camden Police are providing specialist support to the families of the victims.

We want to reassure every Camden resident that the safety of our communities is our highest priority and we are directing all of our attention and resources to keep you safe.

Today and over the coming days you will see extra police officers on the ground in the Kentish Town area, providing 24-hour patrols. Additional police officers will be providing reassurance to the community, schools and youth centres. Camden Council’s community presence officers are also patrolling the area today and this evening.

The Metropolitan Police continue to make urgent enquiries to establish the full circumstances and identify if there are any links between the two incidents. We encourage anyone who has information about the incidents or ongoing concerns to make contact with us as follows:

  • If anyone is in danger call 999.
  • Any witnesses, or anyone with information that may assist police, is urged to call officers via 101. To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit the crimestoppers-uk.org website.
  • If you have concerns about community tensions please contact us via 020 7974 4444 or by email [email protected] 
  • If you are concerned about a young person at risk, call 020 7974 3317 (daytime) or 020 7974 4444 (out of hours).

The safety of our young people and the need to tackle the long-term causes of youth violence in Camden is our absolute priority. We have recently set up a Youth Safety Taskforce which will examine patterns of youth violence in Camden, assess the provision of youth services in Camden and see what we can learn from initiatives in other cities.

We are absolutely committed to reducing youth violence so that everyone in our community can be kept safe, and will continue to work together and with you, our communities, to achieve this.

Nicholas Davies, Borough Commander for Camden and Islington
Councillor Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council
Keir Starmer, MP for Holborn & St Pancras

Read more about our work to keep young people safe in our letter to residents in this area.