The death toll from stabbings will keep increasing until the government implements an effective strategy to combat violent crime, police leaders have warned.

John Apter, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, told The Independent: “Until the government can come up with an effective strategy to combat this epidemic, the death toll will keep on rising.

“Policing has been stripped to the bone and the consequences are clear for all to see. This country is in the grip of a terrifying spiral of violent crime and both the police service and NHS are struggling to cope.

“What makes this more sickening is it was predicted. This is the true cost of austerity that we warned of but were ridiculed for doing so.”

A senior Metropolitan Police officer said he could not “magic officers out of thin air” amid calls to increase patrols in the capital following the murder of a teenage girl.

The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Show all 21 1 /21 The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Oluwadamilolda Odeyingbo Oluwadamilolda Odeyingbo, 18, was killed in a fight in Chislehurst on 10 January 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Hasan Ozcan Hasan Ozcan, 19, was stabbed to death on the Gascoigne Estate in Barking on 3 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Sabri Chibani Sabri Chibani, 19, was stabbed fatally in the chest in Streatham on 11 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Promise Nkenda Lord Promise Nkenda, 17, was stabbed to death in Canning Town on 14 February 2018 Facebook The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Lewis Blackman Lewis Blackman, a 19-year-old rapper from Kentish Town, was stabbed to death in Kensington on 18 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Abdikarim Hassan Abdikarim Hassan, 17, was stabbed to death near his home in Camden's Peckwater estate on 20 March - less tahan two hours before another man was stabbed to death nearby Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Kelvin Odunuyi Kelvin Odunuyi, a 19-year-old rapper known as DipDat and Lampz, was shot dead in Wood Green on 8 March Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Lyndon Davis Lyndon Davis, 18, was chased down and stabbed to death in Chadwell Heath on 14 March Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Tanesha Melbourne-Blake Tanesha Melbourne, 17, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Tottenham on 2 April PA The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Amaan Shakoor Amaan Shakoor, 16, was shot dead in Walthamstow on 2 April Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Israel Ogunsola Israel Ogunsola, 18, was stabbed to death in Hackney on 4 April Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, a 17-year-old rapper and aspiring architect, was shot dead in a Kennington Street on 5 May Handout The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Jordan Douherty Aspiring rapper Jordan Douherty died of his injuries outside a birthday party in Romford on 23 June Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Katrina Makunova Katrina Makunova, 17, was stabbed to death in Camberwell on 12 July 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Latwaan Griffiths 18-year-old Latwaan Griffiths was fatally stabbed on 25 July and died in hospital after being thrown off the back of a moped in Camberwell Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Guled Farah Guled Farah, 19, was shot in Walthamstow on 22 September Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Ethan Nedd-Bruce Ethan Nedd-Bruce, 18, died after he was shot outside a party at a flat in Greenwich, south-east London, on 22 October. He had also been stabbed, but the gunshot wound was the cause of death. Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Jay Hughes Jay Hughes, 15, died was fatally stabbed outside a chicken shop in Bellingham, south-east London, on 1 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Malcolm Mide-Madariola Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17, was found suffering from a stab wound outside Clapham South Tube station on 2 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 John Ogunjobi John Ogunjobi, 16, died in front of his parents after he was stabbed in Greenleaf Close, Tulse Hill, on 5 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Aron Warren Aron Warren, 18, was found stabbed in a flat block in Greenwich on 8 December and died at the scene Metropolitan Police

Meanwhile in Manchester, relatives of a 17-year-old boy who was stabbed to death said they were living “every parent’s worst nightmare”.

Theresa May oversaw budget cuts to police as home secretary and accused the Police Federation of “crying wolf” over the potential consequences in 2015.

On Monday, she insisted there was “no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers”.

“What matters is how we ensure that police are responding to these criminal acts when they take place, that people are brought to justice,” the prime minister added.

“But what also matters is, as a government, that we look at the issues which underpin this use of knives and that we act on those. That’s a cross-government approach, it’s not just about the police.”

Police forces across England and Wales have lost more than 20,000 officers since 2010, and the government was criticised for using council tax to increase budgets.

Graham McNulty, Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner, said more violent crime officers were being put on duty to carry out stop and search and other prevention work.

He said knife crime was running at a “high” in London, adding: “We really need to make an intervention to stop it, which is why we’re putting extra officers out, why we’re utilising stop and search and we want to stop it escalating further.”

Flowers laid in memory of Romford stabbing victim Jodie Chesney

Mr McNulty admitted cancelling rest days for officers and extending shifts, adding: “I can’t magic officers out of thin air … they are working incredibly hard in difficult circumstances.”

Detective Superintendent Shabnam Chaudhri, an officer investigating the stabbing of 17-year-old Jodie Chesney said: “I would love to have more officers but I work with the resources I’ve got.”

No arrests have been made over the killing on Friday night, which was branded a “totally random and unprovoked attack” by Jodie’s family.

On Saturday, 17-year-old Yousef Ghaleb Makki was stabbed to death in Hale Barns, near Altrincham.

His family described the private school pupil as a “dedicated and bright student”, adding: “Only recently had we talked about his promising life ahead of him and how he was looking forward to life.”

Sajid Javid is to chair a meeting of chief constables to address violent crime on Wednesday.

Sara Thornton, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said rising violence must be “treated like a national emergency”.

“Part of the conversation [with the home secretary] will be about what investment in policing is needed to help us control and bring down violence in the short to medium term,” she added. “But policing tactics won’t address the root causes of violence and stop the cycle.”

In the House of Commons, Mr Javid defended what he said was a record £970m increase in police funding for 2019-20 and said a consultation would start shortly on a statutory duty to prevent violent crime.

Yousef Makki, 17, was stabbed to death in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, on 2 March (Greater Manchester Police)

The home secretary said Yousef and Jodie were the “latest victims in a cycle of senseless violence that is robbing young people of their lives across the country”.

“There is no hiding from this issue,” Mr Javid added. “Serious violence is on the rise [but] there are no shortcuts, there is no one single solution.”

Hailing the Offensive Weapons Bill and new knife crime prevention orders, he said all government departments would be involved in a new “public health approach” to knife crime.

But earlier on Monday, the health secretary Matt Hancock disputed a suggestion by the London mayor that knife crime was a “public health issue”.

“It’s a crime issue. People stabbing people, first and foremost, is a crime and you’ve got to hold the perpetrators to justice and accountable,” he told LBC.

“If you try to say that it’s a public health issue that implies that it’s nobody’s fault. The criminals who are murderers, it’s their fault.”

MPs called on the government to act urgently on the “national crisis” following a spate of murders, after fatal stabbings hit the highest number on record and statistics showed a 93 per cent rise in under-17s being stabbed over the past five years.

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Louise Haigh, Labour’s shadow policing minister, said the bloodshed “must be a cause for action”.

“It is a national crisis and it requires national leadership from the prime minister and home secretary – warm words are no longer enough,” she added, calling for a summit backed with emergency funding for police.

Sarah Jones MP, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on knife crime, suggested the prime minister should hold a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee.

Lord Hogan-Howe, the former Metropolitan Police commissioner, called for a knife crime “tsar” to coordinate nationwide action.

“It’s not just London, it’s right across the country,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “The most obvious connection is usually deprivation.”

Mark Burns-Williamson, chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said the government also needed to address “dramatic reductions” in youth services and the significant rise in school exclusions.

Mr Apter, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, added: “How many more children will have to die before the government takes action?