More police deployed in South London after stabbings wave

Police said officers from the Met’s Violent Crime Taskforce would work alongside the force's South Area Command Unit in addition to other 'pan-London resources' as they attempted to respond to a flurry of stabbing attacks south of the Thames that took place over a 24-hour period between Friday evening and Saturday afternoon (February 5-6).

A Section 60 order, giving police heightened 'Stop and Search' powers, was put in place until 7.30am on Sunday (February 7).

As the Croydon Guardian reported previously, the most serious incident among the spate of stabbings in South London happened Friday on Wisbeach Road in Croydon, where a 22-year-old man was found suffering from stab wounds.

Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Despite the best efforts of emergency first responders to save his life, he was later pronounced dead at the scene.

His death is being investigated by homicide detectives from the Specialist Crime Command.

Detectives are meanwhile investigating four further incidents that occurred on Friday evening in Croydon, Wandsworth and Chislehurst in which a number of people sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Two men have been arrested.

On Saturday, two more stabbings shook South London.

The first took place on around 11.20am, when officers were called to reports of a fight in Hadleigh Grove, Couldson.

They found a man in his 20s who had been stabbed. He was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Two men have been arrested in relation to that incident.

Image: @sassy_sae / Twitter

Several hours later, just after 3pm, paramedics from London Ambulance Service attended a 24-year-old man who had been stabbed in London Road, Croydon.

He was taken to hospital where his injuries were assessed as non-life threatening. A crime scene is in place there and an investigation is underway.

Superintendent Andy Brittain, Deputy Commander for the South Area Command Unit, said: "I understand that the events of the past 24 hours will have caused concern for many people in our local community.

"The violence we have witnessed is senseless and our thoughts are with the family of the 22-year-old man who tragically lost his life.

"I want to reassure the community that our borough is safe. Investigations are well underway and four arrests have been made.

"I also want to clarify that most of the people involved in these incidents have been adults.

"Your local officers are out on the ground keeping the community safe and additional resources from across the Met have already been deployed to the area.

"A Section 60 order is in place which will provide officers with additional search powers.

"I’d like to thank our key partners in the community for the part they are playing in shaping our response to these incidents."