London's knife epidemic deepened today after a 13-year-old boy was arrested for possession of a blade when police said they found him carrying a sword.

The foot-long blade with serrated teeth-like edges was found on the teenager after reports of an attempted robbery outside a school in Bromley, South East London.

The discovery comes as an urgent investigation into the violent crime wave in the capital was launched by the Police and Crime Committee of the London Assembly - and Mayor Sadiq Khan was urged to 'take hold of the situation'.

There were six stabbings in London yesterday within just nine hours - with five attacks across Woolwich, Hackney, Twickenham, Greenwich and Croydon.

Then, this morning, there was a further stabbing as a man in his 40s was rushed to hospital following an attack in the street in Shepherd's Bush at about 10am.

This foot-long blade with serrated teeth-like edges was found on a 13-year-old boy after reports of an attempted robbery outside a school in Bromley, South East London

This morning, there was a further stabbing as a man in his 40s was rushed to hospital following an attack in the street in Shepherd's Bush, West London, at about 10am

Sadiq Khan prays with Pretana Morgan, mother of murdered rapper Rhyiem Barton (wearing a green jacket) ahead of a 'peace' march in London

Pretana Morgan led mourners from the Camberwell Estate near to where Rhyhiem Barton was shot

A weekend of violence in the capital kicked off when Rhyhiem (pictured) was fatally gunned down in Southwark on Saturday

Some 62 murders have been recorded by Scotland Yard so far this year, of which 39 involved knives and ten were gun-related. In the first three months of this year 45 murders were recorded, compared to the first quarter of 2017 when there were 23.

The probe was launched as police said a 17-year-old boy was in hospital after being stabbed and shot at by moped riders in Waltham Forest, East London, on Monday.

Two men on a moped stabbed the boy, before the pillion passenger is said to have shot at him. Four people then got out of a car and attacked him before driving off.

Police chief vows to be 'lawfully audacious' in bid to tackle London's crime epidemic as he reveals a third of this year's murders are still unsolved The head of London's murder squad has said policing alone will not solve the violent crime wave gripping the capital. Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Wood pledged that his officers would be 'lawfully audacious' in stopping the bloodshed, but that they need communities to 'step up and say enough's enough'. Mr Wood said there is no single solution to the crime wave. 'It's a complicated series of issues - I don't think there's any one answer,' he said. 'It's something we're not going to simply police our way out of. 'We need communities to step up and say enough's enough, we need everybody to come together and we just need to make it completely unacceptable for young people to take knives and guns out on the streets. 'It's absolutely heartbreaking when you're talking to a family who have lost their son or daughter. 'We will be lawfully audacious in what we do on behalf of communities to deal with the issue but we won't arrest our way out of this. 'We will do everything we can within the law to bring those responsible to justice but it's bigger than that.' Police estimate that charges have been brought in around 70 per cent of the cases recorded as murder so far this year. The remaining 30 per cent includes the deaths of Tanesha Melbourne-Blake, 17, Amaan Shakoor, 16, and Abraham Badru, 26, who were all apparently shot by gang members. Mr Wood denied there is a wall of silence hampering the investigations but acknowledged that some witnesses will not come forward. 'We have some people who are reluctant to come forward, for various reasons they don't want to help the police. 'It could be that they haven't got confidence in the police, we need to never lose sight of that, to make sure that we've got the confidence of young people. 'There are some people who are reluctant to come forward who are perhaps scared themselves because you are talking about some very violent incidents. 'But we need the help from people to solve these crimes and prevent other young people coming to harm.' He said the charge rate is healthy but he wants to convict every person who commits homicide. 'I will never be happy until we solve 100 per cent of murders. My colleagues on the homicide command at the moment are under a lot of pressure, they've got a high workload. 'Obviously the number of cases has gone up so they're under more pressure. We will seek to convict every single person who commits a homicide. We won't rest until we do that.' Advertisement

It came as the mother of an aspiring rapper gunned down at the weekend marched to the area occupied by her son's rival gang after a crisis meeting with Mr Khan.

Rhyhiem Barton was shot dead on Saturday and in heart-breaking scenes Pretana Morgan was forced to scrubbed her son's blood off the street where he died near his home in South London.

Last night a crowd of around 100 people gathered outside the victim's estate in Kennington after the family had a private meeting with Mr Khan, who joined prayers for the 17-year-old gunned down in the street.

They then marched on neighbouring Peckham where Rhyhiem's Moscow17 gang is involved in a bloody feud with rivals Zone 2.

The London Mayor and the Met face a crisis after days of violent attacks in the capital including 11 gun, knife and acid attacks in the capital in recent days.

Last night there were five more knife attacks in Hackney, Woolwich, Twickenham, Croydon and Greewich.

Last night a 16-year-old in Hackney was stabbed repeatedly with a machete after a fight on the Nightingale Estate at 3pm. Another victim, a man aged 18, was treated for leg injuries.

Another victim, in his late teens, was stabbed in the leg during an incident at 5pm near Woolwich Arsenal station, south-east London.

Police had again received reports of a fight, and a man was later arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.

Less than two hours earlier, police in west London were called to The Embankment, Twickenham, to a teenager with a non-life threatening stab wound to his arm.

Meanwhile a 27-year-old man was stabbed outside West Croydon railway station at 6pm, and a 21-year-old man was stabbed in a doorstep burglary at his home in Greenwich at about 11.30pm.

Rhyhiem's mother blamed the police for her son's murder - saying they failed to protect him.

The teenager, who was the 62nd victim to be killed in the capital so far this year, is said to have been a member of the Moscow17 crew from Kennington who are involved in a violent feud with rivals Zone2 from nearby Peckham which has escalated through various YouTube videos.

Last year he appeared alongside Tim Westwood in a YouTube rap video where he was seen wearing a balaclava and a hoodie, waving a spliff around as he spoke about 'splashing' rivals - slang for stabbing someone repeatedly until they pour with blood - and bragged his crew is 'known for capping' its enemies which means shooting someone.

Yesterday his godmother Lacey Main called for YouTube to take responsibility in a packed public meeting on knife crime attended by local Labour MPs Harriet Hartman and Neil Coyle, along with Tottenham MP David Lammy and Sophie Linden, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime.

She said: 'Why do they put the music on YouTube? Take it out. You have the authority, all of you sitting down there. Every time they put a video up - shut it down.

'These children have no talent. They are actually cowards.' She went on: 'If it comes from a gang, bring it down.

Speaking ahead of the march, Rhyhiem's mother said: 'We need this violence to stop'

Rhyhiem's mother Pretana Morgan (centre) is comforted as she hugs a well-wisher ahead of a community meeting in south London on Tuesday

Pretana Morgan (centre), the mother of murdered teenager Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, walks with her daughter (left) at the start of a solidarity march on Tuesday

'All the police know the gangs, they know about these videos, boasting and challenging each other and they know what they lead to.

'They lead to evil, they lead to murder like this one. Don't give them the platform, don't give them the satisfaction.

'The comments under these videos of threats and challenging people to do violence say things like 'you are drilling hard.'

'I wrote a message under one of these videos saying how foolish it was, and they just posted it again elsewhere so nobody could see my comment.

'I have been telling police about this for three years but they do not work with YouTube, Snapchat, any of them. No one takes responsibility and there is blood in the streets.

'Every time they put up a video bragging and boasting it should be taken down before this happens again.

'Then the youths, they come to this area and film themselves on their rivals' turf so the other group responds. It escalates and now my godson is dead.'

Standing alongside supporters clutching white balloons and wearing white t-shirts bearing Rhyhiem's picture, his godmother said: 'It's time to fight for what we believe. We are going to march to Peckham. Let's take the message to these boys.'

Speaking as she marched towards Peckham, Rhyhiem's mother said: 'We need this violence to stop.

'My son was a child, he had plenty of growing up to do but now he never will.'

Rhyhiem had only been back in the capital for a few months after being sent by his mother to stay with relatives in Jamaica following threats to his life in May last year.

He had previously been stabbed by the same Zone2 gang in May 2016.

Yesterday a friend of the victim said the YouTube feud that had begun as teenage boasting which had gone too far.

'Just because he was involved in that music doesn't make him a bad person,' he said.

'He loved the music and he was very talented.

'It's always a battle. Rival gangs like one called Four10 come to this area and post videos of themselves here to boast and challenge for a retaliation.

'But it should never end like this. He was like a brother to me.'

The mother of an aspiring rapper gunned down in south London has blamed the police for her son's murder - saying they failed to protect him

Pretana Morgan, whose 17-year-old son Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton was shot dead in south London on Saturday, returned to the scene to scrub his blood from the pavement and blames police for his death

His murder on Saturday was one of five shootings in London over the Bank Holiday weekend including an attack on a 13-year-old boy hit in the back of the head with a stray shotgun pellet as he walked back from a wedding with his parents in Wealdstone.

There were also three fatal stabbings in Liverpool, Luton and Macclesfield, Cheshire.

Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, 17, was discovered with fatal injuries on Warham Street in Southwark after being shot in the chest near his home on Saturday evening.

His mother Pretana Morgan later went to scrub her son's blood from the street and paid tribute to her 'handsome boy,' saying he was not in a gang but aspired to be an architect.

Ms Morgan, who also has a six-year-old daughter, criticised police, saying: 'We're not being protected because of the police. The police are the ones putting us in danger.'

She added: 'I want my son's body so I can go home [to Jamaica], they can take back their British passport. I do not want nothing from them.

The 17-year's murder kicked off an extraordinarily violent 48 hours that saw a number of gun, knife and acid attacks in London and across the UK.

Shooting victim Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, 17, is said to be the man on the left of this rap video, which was removed from YouTube by Moscow17 but uploaded again after his death

Moscow17 and Zone 2's violent South London rivalry Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton – who was fatally gunned down in south London - was reportedly a member of the Moscow17 crew. The group, from Kennington, are said to be involved in a violent feud with rivals Zone 2 from nearby Peckham, south London. Moscow17 also had frequent rap competitions - known as 'drills' - with Zone 2, usually including lyrics aimed at antagonising their rivals. Violence is another theme of the 'drill' music the groups are known for. In 'Moscow March' – released at the end of 2016 – members rap: 'We're known for the stabbings.' In the track titled City Of God, Rhyhiem - who rapped under the name GB - is believed to have challenged Zone 2 by asking 'how you gonna make it even' Zone 2 filmed their response to that track – called 'Zone 2 Step' on Moscow17's turf, according to an article in Fact magazine last year. Their violent rivalry is evident in another track where Moscow17 - who occasionally used the nickname 'the Russians' - told their rivals to 'check the scoreboard'. Zone 2 responded with a video telling their opposition they will 'roll up and burst them'. In the track 'City Of God', Rhyhiem - who rapped under the name GB - is believed to have challenged Zone 2 by asking 'how you gonna make it even'. The track also includes the line: 'We are at war with the f****** cops.' The video, which was removed from YouTube by Moscow17 but uploaded again by another user following Rhyhiem's death, was the most recent in several 'drill' battles between the two groups. Advertisement

On Tuesday, it emerged that Rhyhiem had recorded a rap video uploaded to YouTube challenging a rival group a month before his death.

He was said to have been a member of Moscow17 - a group which often had rap competitions, known as 'drills', with a rival Peckham crew called Zone 2.

In the track titled City Of God, Rhyhiem - who rapped under the name GB - is believed to have challenged Zone 2 by asking 'how you gonna make it even'.

The video, which was removed from YouTube by Moscow17 but uploaded again by another user following Rhyhiem's death, was the most recent in several 'drill' battles between the two groups.

Their violent rivalry is evident in another track where Moscow17 - who occasionally used the nickname 'the Russians' - told their rivals to 'check the scoreboard'.

Zone 2 responded with a video telling their opposition they will 'roll up and burst them'.

Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton (right) was a member of the masked Moscow17 crew from Kennington promoted by former BBC DJ Tim Westwood

The 17-year-old, circled, who was shot dead in the street on Saturday, appeared in a mask alongside Westwood last year in a rap video viewed on YouTube more than 170,000 times

Violent incidents were recorded across the UK through the Bank Holiday weekend

Since he was killed, a montage video of him rapping alongside fellow Moscow17 members has been uploaded to YouTube and viewed more than 29,000 times.

Comments below the video say Rhyhiem 'jinxed himself' by challenging the rival crew in the City Of God rap just four weeks before he was killed.

He appeared in a mask alongside DJ Tim Westwood last year in a rap video viewed on YouTube more than 170,000 times.

Westwood called Moscow17 'legendary' before they rapped about 'splashing' rivals - slang for stabbing someone repeatedly until they pour with blood - and bragged the gang is 'known for capping' its enemies - street language for shooting someone.

THE 'DRILL' RAP MUSIC FUELLING GANG VIOLENCE IN LONDON 'Drill' music, a hip-hop subgenre, is driving the feuding gang war in London, community leaders have warned. Hundreds of videos on YouTube feature UK rappers threatening and provoking people from rival areas. To 'drill' means to fight or scrap and the violent lyrics focus on gang life, drugs, guns and killing. In one video viewed nearly three million times, rapper Digga D boasts about having to bleach his knife after using it to attack someone. In another, entitled 'Mummy's Kitchen', rappers Loski and Mayski, who are thought to be Londoners, boast about taking a blade from the family home. In the videos, which are filmed across the city, performers take care to ensure their faces are covered. The link with fatal attacks committed against young Londoners is made clear under the videos on YouTube, where commentators speculate about which groups were responsible. Advertisement

In a statement to MailOnline, Westwood said: 'It goes without saying that our deepest and heartfelt sympathies are with the family, friends and fans of Rhyhiem Barton.

'Rhyhiem Barton was a very talented young artist trying to achieve success in the music business.

'Having met Rhyhiem, he was very serious and passionate about his music and wanted a career as an artist. He had recorded many successful songs and was part of a very popular rap group.'

Rhyhiem approached Tim Westwood TV so his music would reach a wider audience and help further his music career, Westwood added.

'For the avoidance of doubt, there is no payment or fee to feature on TimWestwoodTV,' he said.

'Tim Westwood TV provides an opportunity for young people to pursue their aspirations and dreams of a having a career as an artist and gives them an outlet for their talent.

'The artists featured on TimWestwoodTV are rap groups and we have absolutely no knowledge of any alleged gang affiliation. Neither do we have any knowledge of a Metropolitan Police database.

'The police have never contacted TimWestwoodTV over any video on the channel. We support any initiative that would stop the violence.'

Rhyhiem, who used the name GB, was also on a leaked list of rappers Scotland Yard believed was promoting violence and goading rivals in online videos, according to The Times.

His murder was one of five shootings in London over the Bank Holiday weekend including a botched drive-by where a 13-year-old was blasted in the face as he walked along the high street in Harrow with his parents.

There were also three fatal stabbings in Liverpool, Luton and Macclesfield, Cheshire.

The 13-year-old was accidentally shot in the head as he walked through Wealdstone, northwest London, with his parents.

The boy was the youngest victim of the wave of gun, knife and acid attacks across Britain over a bloody Bank Holiday weekend.

Fatah Warsame died after being stabbed in Liverpool city centre early on Sunday morning

Fatah, from Cardiff, was knifed in the chest in Hanover Street at around 4am on a bloody Bank Holiday weekend in the UK

Waryam Hussein, 20, was stabbed to death in Bishopscote Road in Luton on Sunday afternoon

A 13-year-old boy who survived being accidentally shot in the head is the youngest person caught in a wave of attacks across Britain over a bloody Bank Holiday weekend

Rhyhiem was the 62nd victim to be killed in the capital this year after London's murder rate overtook New York's in February and March

Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton was found with fatal gunshot wounds in Warham Street Southwark at 6.05pm on Saturday

Tragic death toll: The rising number of lives taken on the streets of London in 2018

JANUARY - 12 deaths, including one late on December 31

31 December, Kyall Parnell, 17: Stabbed to death in Lambeth

1 January, Steve Frank Narvaez-Arias, 20: Stabbed in the chest on New Year's Day at a flat party in a council estate off Old Street in Islington, north London. After moving to the UK from Ecuador, the 20-year-old was reading physics and aerospace at Hertfordshire University and hoped to become a pilot

3 January, Elizabeta Lacatusu, 44: Found bleeding to death on Norfolk Road, in Ilford, after she had her throat slashed. She worked at a restaurant in the east London town and was returning home when she was stabbed to death

6 January, Vijay Patel, 49: Mr Patel was beaten to death in Barnet

Yaya Mbye, 26, was stabbed in Hackney on January 28 (left). Right, Daniel Frederick, 34, was killed metres from his home in Hackney after attending a hospital appointment for his pregnant partner on January 8

8 January, Daniel Frederick, 34: Daniel was killed metres from his home in Hackney after attending a hospital appointment for his pregnant partner

9 January, Dami Odeyingbo, 18: Stabbed in Bromley

11 January, Harry Uzoka, 25: Harry, who was on the books of Premier Model Management and had modelled for brands including Mercedes and Zara - was stabbed in Shepherd's Bush. Neighbours reported a shout of 'hand it over' in the melee which involved several men

24 January, Seyed Azim Khan, age unknown: Died from a head injury in Redbridge

Khader Saleh, 25, (left) was stabbed in the Hammersmith and Fulham area on January 31. Right, Dami Odeyingbo, 18, was stabbed in Bromley on January 9

28 January, Yaya Mbye, 26: Stabbed in Hackney

29 January, Juan Olmos Saca, 39: Died six days after being found stabbed at an address in Peckham

31 January, Lily-Mai Saint George, one: One-year-old Lily-Mai was found dead in Haringey. The Met Police say her cause of death remains unknown

31 January, Khader Saleh, 25: The 25-year-old was stabbed in the Hammersmith and Fulham area

FEBRUARY - 14 deaths

3 February, Kwabena Nelson, 22: Ambushed in Tottenham in the early hours where he was fatally stabbed

3 February, Hasan Ozkan, 19: Stabbed to death in Abbey Road, Barking

5 February, Juan Olmos Saca: Died in hospital after being stabbed in Peckham

8 February, Hannah Leonard, 55: Fatally stabbed in Brays Tower, Primrose Hill

11 February, Sabri Chibani, 19: Stabbed in Streatham Common

12 February, Bulent Kabala, 41: The taxi driver was shot dead in a 'targeted hit' on a roundabout in Barnet

13 February, Saeeda Hussain, 54: Found with critical injuries at an address in Ilford and pronounced dead at the scene

14 February, Promise Nkenda, 17: Fatally stabbed in Newham, east London

15 February, Mark Smith, 48: Mr Smith was found injured in Chingford, and died shortly afterwards

17 February, Lewis Blackman, 19: Lewis, who grew up on the Peckwater estate in Kentish Town, was killed in Kensington. Witnesses told how a gang of about eight youths, some armed with sticks, shouted 'let's chase him down', before he was stabbed

17 February, Josef Boci, 30: Jozef was beaten up in the street in Greenwich and died in hospital

19 February, Rotimi Oshibanjo, 26: Rotimi was fatally stabbed inside a property in the Halliday Square housing estate

20 February, Sadiq Mohamed, 20: The aspiring accountant was found with serious stab wounds in Malden Road, in Belsize Park

20 February, Abdikarim Hassan, 17: Abdikarim died in the street after being attacked in Camden

20 February, name unknown, 24: Shot in Westminster

25 February, Michael Boyle, 44: Stabbed in Southwark. Mr Boyle, from Galashiels, Scotland died of multiple organ failure after being stabbed at a property in Southwark. He was found on February 25 but died on March 10

MARCH - 23 deaths

1 March, Christopher Beaumont, 42: Stabbed in Hammersmith and Fulham

5 March, Kelva Smith, 20: Found stabbed in South Norwood, Croydon and pronounced dead at the scene

5 March, Laura Cecilia Navarrete De Figueira, 47: Police launched a murder investigation after Laura Cecilia Navarrete De Figueira was found with stab wounds at her home in Twickenham. An hour earlier the body of her husband Figueira de Faria and the bodies of Claudio, 10, and Joaquin, seven, were discovered on the beach at Birling Gap, in Eastbourne, East Sussex

8 March, Kelvin Odunuyi, 19: Shot in Haringey

12 March, Julian Joseph, 36: Murdered in Lewisham, cause of death as yet unknown

13 March, Nikolay Glushkov, 68: Russian businessman was found dead in his home in New Malden. He died from compression to the neck

14 March, Lyndon Davis, 18: The youngest to have been killed in March, was found suffering from a single stab wound in Chadwell Heath, east London

14 March, Joseph Williams-Torres, 20: Killed as he sat in a stationary car in Essex Close, Walthamstow

16 March, Naomi Hersi, 36: Stabbed in Hounslow. Hersi, who lived as a trans woman called Naomi, was pronounced dead at the scene after being found with knife injuries in Hounslow

17 March, Russell Jones, 23: Ambushed outside shops near Ponders End station, in Enfield and stabbed and shot to death

18 March, Tyrone Silcott, 42: The father-of-two died from knife wounds after a St Patrick's Day party. It is alleged the car mechanic got into a row over two girls at a party in Homerton and was attacked

19 March, Balbir Johal, 48: Died after being stabbed in Southall

Hersi Hersi (left), who lived as a trans woman called Naomi, was pronounced dead at the scene after being found with knife injuries at Heathrow Palace in Hounslow. Russell Jones, 23, became the eighth person in a week to be killed in London when he was ambushed outside shops near Ponders End station, Enfield Read

19 March, Jermaine Johnson, 41: Found with stab injuries and pronounced dead at the scene in Walthamstow

20 March, Beniamin Pieknyi, 20: Believed to have jumped in to the fight in a bid to save his friend during the altercation at the Stratford Centre in east London. The 20-year-old, who only arrived in Britain two months ago from Romania, died in his best friend's arms after being chased and stabbed by a gang in the busy shopping centre

25 March, Abraham Badru, 26: Gunned down in Hackney. The university graduate, who was murdered in Dalston, east London, was awarded the National Police Bravery Award in July 2009

25 March, awaiting formal ID, 59: Person found dead in Barking & Dagenham

26 March, David Potter, 50: Found stabbed to death in a property on Tooting High Street

29 March, Reece Tshoma, 23: Reece, from Barking in east London, was stabbed in the neck in Greenwich before being rushed to hospital by his friend where he died

30 March, Leyla Mtumwa, 36: Leyla was found dead with stab wounds to the neck and chest at an address in Haringey

APRIL - At least 11 deaths

1 April, Devoy Stapleton: Stabbed at as he made his way home from a night out in Wandsworth. Police found him in a pool of his own blood after being called to the middle-class suburb of Earlsfield, south west London

2 April, Tanesha Melbourne, 17: Tanesha was gunned down near her home in Tottenham, north London in front of horrified friends and family. It is thought she was caught in the crossfire of a ruthless gang war

2 April, Amaan Shakoor, 16: The teenager was shot in the face in Walthamstow, north London, and police have now confirmed he died from his injuries in hospital

4 April, Henry Vincent, 37: Burglary who died from stab wound after raiding pensioner's house

4 April, Babatunde Akintayo Awofeso dies after row on Upper Clapton Road, east London.

4 April, Israel Ogunsola, 18, dies in Hackney after being stabbed. The victim approached police who performed first aid but he died at the scene after 25 minutes.

12 April, John Maclean, 35, stabbed at a flat in the Isle of Dogs. A 25-year-old has been charged with his murder.

15 April, Raul Nicolaie, 26: Found at with stab injuries in Colindale, north London. A 34- year-old woman was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder

15 April, an unnamed woman in her 30s was stabbed to death in Sudbourne Road, Brixton, south London. A man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

16 April - Sami Sidhom, 18, is stabbed to death in the street in Forest Gate.

21 April - Man, 20, named locally as Kwesi, was stabbed to death about a hundred yards from Jeremy Corbyn's home in North London

23 April - Aaron Springett, 32, died after a street fight outside Paddy Power bookies in Morden

May

May 1 - A man in his thirties is shot dead outside Queensbury Tube station.

May 5 - Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton was murdered on Warham Street, Southwark