Violent Crime Task Force officers on streets of South London after five murders in a week

The Met is sending officers from its Violent Crime Task Force out onto the streets of South London in a bid to curtail the killings which have left five people dead in the last week, including three teenagers.
The increased police presence follows the death of a 16-year-old boy in Greenleaf Close, Tulse Hill, on Monday November 5.

Officers were originally called at 10.53pm to reports of a shooting and found a 16-year-old male collapsed in the street with injuries. He is believed to have been stabbed. There was no evidence at this time of a firearm having been discharged.

Despite the efforts of paramedics, the male was pronounced dead at the scene at 11.41pm.
Chief Superintendent Simon Messinger, Commander of the Central South Command Unit, said:

“We have seen a spate of fatal stabbings in south London recently with five murders over the course of the last week. One murder is one too many with the devastation it causes to families, friends and communities difficult to comprehend.

“Tackling violence is a priority and one which remains at the forefront of all the work we do. This includes utilising our local resources but also supplementing them with resources from across the Met, including the Violent Crime Taskforce. Extra officers have been assigned to the Central South Command to work alongside local officers – you will see them out and about on patrol.

“And our prevention work, which has been key in helping to stem to overall tide of violent crime, remains ongoing. Across the Met this year, officers have conducted over 21,000 weapons sweeps and taken hundreds of weapons off the streets. This work will continue.

“The support of the community is vital in the work we do, including combatting violent crime. I would urge anyone who has witnessed a crime, violent or otherwise, to contact police as soon as possible and help us to remove violent individuals from our streets.

“Any information, no matter how big or small, could be of huge help to our investigations and all information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.

“If you have any questions or concerns, please do approach any officer that you see patrolling the area. They will be happy to speak with you.”

A post mortem examination following the Greenleaf Close murder is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 8 November at Greenwich Mortuary.

An investigation is underway by detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, led by Detective Chief Inspector Richard Vandenbergh. He said: “At this early stage I am appealing to anyone who has information that could assist this investigation to come forward and speak to police.

“We believe the victim was attacked by a number of suspects and the altercation would have undoubtedly drawn the attention of those who were in the vicinity.

“Did you see or hear anything? If so, no matter how insignificant you think it may be, please call – your information could prove to be crucial.”

Officers are also appealing to anyone who may have taken footage or images of the incident on their mobile phone to get in contact.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 0208 721 4961 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

You can also tweet information to @MetCC.