Figures from the Met Police show there have been more than 170 knife attacks in Redbridge this year, which is an increase of more than 50 per cent from last year.

In Redbridge there have been 176 incidents between January 1 and the end of October this year, and in the same time last year there were 109 incidents.

The statistics are for incidents where a knife has been used to injure - these include incidents such as a stabbing in the street, a robbery where a knife is used to injure, or domestic GBH between partners in a house.

Across the tri-borough policing area now known the East Area (Havering, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham) there have been 450 incidents, which is 174 more incidents than last year.

The worst month for reported knife attacks in Redbridge was in May, when 31 people were injured with a bladed weapon.

There have been a number of knife-related incidents within the borough, including the murder of 23-year-old Hainault father Moses Mayele in Manford Way in October, and a 14-year-old boy from Woodford Green who was jailed for four and a half years after admitting to stabbing a fellow teenager outside Woodford Underground Station in March.

Ilford North MP, Wes Streeting has said that although he supports the Mayor of London’s new strategy to tackle knife crime ultimately the goverment needs to put a stop to police cuts.

He told the Recorder: “The rise in knife crime in Redbridge and across London reflects a worrying pattern right across the country. At a time when we need police resources focused on cutting crime, the Government are cutting over a billion pounds from the Metropolitan Police budget.

“I welcome the fact that Sadiq Khan is investing in police numbers from his own budget to try and offset some of the central government cuts and I strongly support his new strategy to tackle knife crime, but ultimately we need the Government to put a stop to these police cuts.

“I am increasingly concerned by the number of young people telling me that they know of others carrying knives to school and around our community. I plan to address this issue directly by visiting schools with those affected by knife crime to highlight the human cost of carrying a knife.”