Incident comes as figures show murder rate in London has risen by 44% in past year

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Police have launched a murder investigation after a man in his 40s was stabbed to death in west London.



The killing comes as concerns mount about serious crime in the capital, where recent figures showed the murder rate had gone up by 44% in the past year.

Police and paramedics were called to Cathcart Road in Kensington shortly after 10.20pm on Wednesday, after the victim was found with multiple stab wounds. He died at the scene 40 minutes later.

Scotland Yard said the man’s next of kin had been informed, but formal identification was yet to take place.

More than 60 murder investigations have been launched this year by the Metropolitan police, which released snapshot figures this month showing the number of crimes in the year to March.



They revealed a 23% increase in gun crime with discharges, a 21% rise in knife crime and an 18% increase in the number of rapes.

The rise in violent crime comes despite the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, publishing a knife crime strategy last June, and a number of other initiatives from local and central government.

The increase in violent crime has been reflected in urban areas in many other parts of the country.

In a separate incident, a 27-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder.



The arrest came after police and the London ambulance service were called to Wrythe Lane in Carshalton, south London, in the early hours of Monday morning after reports of a stabbing.



A man in his 40s was found with stab injuries and taken to a south London hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.



The stabbing is believed to have taken place at a property after a meeting with the suspect. The victim and suspect were known to each other, according to police.

Anyone who witnessed the fatal incident or has any information should call 101 or the incident room on 0208 358 0200, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

