This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, following the stabbing of a 19-year-old man on a north London bus at the weekend.

The victim was stabbed in the chest on board the 134 bus in Muswell Hill at 4.41pm on Saturday. He was flown by air ambulance to an east London hospital where he is in a critical, but stable, condition. The suspect remains in custody pending further inquiries.

DS Jon Deans said: “There is a young man in hospital in a very serious condition and we are working hard to establish how he came to be attacked.

“Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is asked to call detectives at the north-west command unit on 101 quoting reference 5259/9MAR, Tweet @MetCC, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

On Sunday, police were called to an address in East Dulwich after a 19-year-old man was stabbed. He is being treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and no arrests have been made.

The attacks are part of a spate of incidents across the country, which has seen nine teenagers die since the beginning of the year. Last month, fatal stabbings in England and Wales reached their peak since records began more than 70 years ago.

Following the deaths of 17-year-olds Jodie Chesney in east London and Yousef Ghaleb Makki in Greater Manchester last week police chiefs have demanded extra funds to tackle the situation, which they have called a national emergency.

Offences involving a knife or sharp instrument have risen by 12% in the past year, and the number of youths aged 16 and under treated for stab wounds by the NHS has nearly doubled in five years.

The incidents are likely to add to mounting pressure on Theresa May to deal with the issue, after the prime minister was criticised last week for claiming there was no direct correlation between police cuts and rising knife crime.