Victims’ families, parents, teachers and children marching across Camden to call for action to end knife violence.

• I WAS one of many politicians to attend last week’s knife crime summit at City Hall. Convened by the Mayor Sadiq Khan, MPs and Assembly Members from across the political spectrum joined with senior officers from the Met Police to demand greater action on the horrific violence we have seen across London.

Knife crime does not have one specific cause or solution, but addressing it decisively must be a priority. The murder of our young people cannot become a status quo that we tolerate as the norm.

Violence is ripping communities apart, and confronting it will require greater deterrence but also serious investment in our youth.

In February the Mayor created the £45million Young Londoners Fund to help steer young people away from violent crime, and granted £7million to projects to combat youth violence across London.

These funds are extremely welcome and must serve as part of a broader strategy in which schools, the police and local authorities work together to prevent future violence.

The police are under-resourced and overstretched. Police stations have closed and borough forces are merging to comply with the latest government cuts.

The lack of deterrence is noticeable, and this was raised by MPs of all parties at the summit. Amber Rudd was present and she must use her latest Violent Crime Strategy to ease the burden on the Met and our communities.

The summit was an important step but it must produce sustained change. Consensus building in the comfort of City Hall is important in its own right, but Londoners are rightly demanding a change in step from politicians.

Of course, nobody wants to see a repeat of the shocking scenes we have seen in Camden and across the capital, and until all politicians acknowledge the need to tackle the underlying causes of serious violence – I fear we will see further incidents.

We owe it to London’s parents, not least those already affected, to confront the issue of knife crime and provide a future of opportunity for all local children.

TULIP SIDDIQ MP
Labour, Hampstead & Kilburn