Getty Summer could bring carnage if the surge in knife crime in London continues, a surgeon said

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Martin Griffiths, who works at the Royal London Hospital in east London, admitted knife and gunshot wounds are now the “bread and butter” of his daily work. London's violence epidemic has claimed the lives of 60 people this year alone and the murder rate in the UK capital overtook New York for the first time ever this year. Mr Griffiths has been outspoken about the alarming increase in the amount of gunshot and stab wounds that he treats daily, and predicts even more violence on our streets this year. He told the Times: “Every day an ambulance rolls up with a kid who has been stabbed. That can’t be right. We’re not at war.”

The surgeon said the amount of violent crimes in London resembles crime hotspots like South Africa or certain cities in the US. He said: “It’s looking more like South Africa, or inner-city US. You’re looking at stabbing and gunshot wounds of a proportion and severity that matches those environments. “If it was hot weather right now, it would be carnage. When it gets a few degrees warmer, it’s going to be taxing. It’s going to be difficult.” The number of under 18s who were admitted to the Royal London Hospital with stabwounds rose from 31 in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same time last year. Meanwhile, the number of victims with gunshot wounds also rose over the same period from ten to 23. Mr Griffiths reveals that the youngest stab wound patient that he’s treated was just nine-years-old.

Royal London hospital Martin Griffiths, a trauma surgeon has seen a dramatic increase in knife and stab wounds

He added: “You’re sitting there in a (resuscitation) bay at 7.30pm on a Thursday evening. It’s not even dark but you’ve got four children in your bays and you’re thinking to yourself — this is not what I trained for. “ Mr Griffiths also runs a program aimed at helping victims after they leave hospital in a bid to encourage change. Following the rise in violent crime, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick announced plans to launch a gang-busting squad with 120 hand-picked officers. The force has also increased the amount of stop and searches using section 60 orders since she took over a year ago.

Getty Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick announced plans to launch a gang-busting squad

Ms Dick said her officers had made arrests in 43 cases, with charges brought in 33 of them. But when asked about why the rate of solved murders had fallen to 72 percent, she said gang-linked killings were “hard cases to prove”. She said: “A lot of these cases are not classic whodunnits – more often than not we have a good idea of who was involved. Proving which one of those people did that is hard.” She added solving the cases was made harder when officers were met with a “wall of silence” in the community.

Getty At least 60 people have died from stabbings and shootings this year alone