Teenager sentenced following guilty plea after being found by cops to be carrying knife in shoe

A 17-year-old has pleaded guilty to possession of a knife and has been referred to a Youth Offender Panel for six months.

He was also ordered to pay a £22 victim surcharge, on Friday, 9 October at Bexley Magistrates’ Court.

Officers from the Central South (Lambeth and Southwark) Violence Suppression Unit were patrolling in Southwark the day before when they stopeped the teenager and found a knife concealed in his footwear.

He was arrested at the scene, and charged the same day.

Inspector Paul Howlett, from the Met’s Central South Violence Suppression Unit, said: “Our officers are out every day conducting patrols and other proactive activity to target our top priority – violent crime.

“This incident shows how valuable stop and search is as a tactic for removing weapons off the streets – this knife could have been used to cause harm to someone had we not seized it.

“We will continue to use all of the tactics available to us to suppress violent crime in the area.”

+ Communities also have a vital role to play in tackling violent crime and we urge anyone who may have information to tell us, so that we can tackle violence together. We need information about crime or those who carry a weapon, or those that exploit people for gain or revenge, while putting young people’s lives at risk. Community intelligence can be used to great effect to not only detect, but also prevent crime, keep London safe and save young lives.

If you don’t want to speak to the police, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They are a totally independent charity and you remain 100 per cent anonymous, they never ask your name and they cannot trace your call, your IP address or device you use. Alternatively, visit their website.