A police commander has told Bromley students of the brutal realities of knife crime during an insightful visit.

Students at London South East College’s Bromley campus were given the "sobering" but important details by Dr David Musker, who has worked for the Met Police for 29 years.

He said: "Recently, over the past year, there has been a sharp rise in the number of young people who have fallen foul of knife and gun crime.

"My commitment to ending what has almost become a culture amongst young men, is what drives me.”

Dr Musker added: "It may look attractive, cool, and exciting at first. Boys as young as just eight or nine are being groomed into carrying out fairly routine tasks such as delivering packages for gangs, hiding firearms or other such illegal items.

"This eventually leads to being required to carry out much more sinister business for the gang’s leaders. The failure to do so can result in very unpleasant circumstances."

He went on to describe how his job involved knocking on the door of parents to inform them of their child’s death.

Sports science student Craig Williams, 17, said he learned more than he thought from the lecture.

He added: "Some of the things he told us were very sobering but necessary.

"I now have more of an understanding and a deeper comprehension about the work of the police and some of the things they are up against in their fight against crime."

Stephen Howlett, the college chairman of operation, thanked the police commander for his time and said he hoped the students took away some of his wisdom.