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The number of knife crime incidents being investigated by the Met Police has surged in 2018, with more than 51 victims fatally stabbed. The rise in the crime rate has led to calls for more to be done by the Mayor of London and the UK Government to tackle the issue and now a leading tourism expert has added her voice to the debate by highlighting the negative impact the increase in stabbings could have on tourism to the capital. Speaking to Express.co.uk, Anna Hillingdon, from the University of Bournemouth said: "If you think about it, people use the rule of thumb when deciding where to go on holiday. "Common sense means they attach higher probability to events that are recent, so if there are negative events happening in London such as a stabbing or a mobbing - and it's happening now - it is seen as risky.

"Because people can remember these events, they attach a higher risk to London." The dramatic rise in knife crime in London has received widespread media attention, both domestically and internationally. The US President, Donald Trump, has also drawn attention to the crime rate on social media and in speeches, and even criticised London for being “like a war zone”. The more attention being given to London's knife attacks, the bigger the negative impact on the tourism, according to Ms Hillingdon.

London stabbings: Police investigate knife crime in the Capital Sat, April 7, 2018 London has witnessed a surge in knife crime in 2018 Play slideshow PA 1 of 9 Forensic officers search Tottenham's Chalgrove Road after a 17-year-old was murdered

She said: "If these events are going to carry on being tweeted then, of course, the coverage gets bigger, there's more exposure, and people will attach a higher level of risk to places such as London." The rise in violence in the capital particularly made headlines earlier this year when it was revealed in February and March the murder rate was higher in London than in New York. In a call for more to be done to tackle crime, Ms Hillingdon has said the Mayor of London should look at the solutions used in the US city to reduce the number of attacks they had. She said: "In New York City they have increased the policing numbers, they have increased the spending on the policing and they have reduced the crime. "So if New York can reduce the level of crime they had, I'm sure London can do it.

Donald Trump has compared London to a 'war zone'

"We can look at it and think 'oh my God, New York has got less crime than London' but at the same time, the reason they have less is because they have increased policing." Norman Brennan, a retired police officer and lead campaigner on law and order, has also demanded the Government and London Mayor do more to tackle the issue. He told Express.co.uk both Sadiq Khan and Theresa May were “pleading with the police” to increase their use of stop and search powers despite both demanding a curb on the practice back in 2015. The passionate campaigner claimed unless the police were given the help they needed to get a grip on the situation, London will be avoided by international travellers.

“When you look at a lot of the attacks, they’re not just in notorious areas such as Harringay and Croydon. "We’ve had attacks in Notting Hill and Kensington and these are very salubrious areas," he said. "These are the types of places tourists enjoy visiting as part of their round London trip. "If they think there’s a part of London that is at risk they won’t travel there." The Office for National Statistics is yet to publish any data for tourism to the UK by overseas travellers in 2018. However, Danny O’Brien, who runs the campaign organisation Anti-knife UK, fears when the figures are released there may be a reduction in tourism compared to last year because of the rate of crime.

Sadiq Khan and Theresa May have come under pressure to reduce London's knife crime problem

He said: “The crime rate is bound to have an effect because people are going to see London and the first thing they are going to think of is knives, mopeds and acid attacks. “There will be people who say a decrease in tourism is a Brexit effect but I am sure it’s a reaction to knife crime.” Earlier this week the London Mayor said the Metropolitan Police are “overstretched and under-resourced” and need Londoners’ help to make the city safer. He said: “We are doing our bit from city hall and the Met are doing their bit – I’ll carry on lobbying the Government to give us the resources that we need.” Defending the crime rate in the capital he added: “Across the country, crime in London is going up less steeply than crime across England and Wales.”