Hardened to murder?
they withdraw from it because they feel powerless.” The Police Federation chairman John Apter said: “I have serious concerns about the rise in homicide, knife crime and robbery. It is a tragedy these crimes continue to spiral as my colleagues are stretched to their limits.
“Murders used to make headline news but, regrettably, they are now seen as a normal occurrence.
“Police officers witness some horrific, painful and unimaginable scenes during their career.
“Yes, policing is tough and this is part of the job but it does not make it easier on my colleagues,who can be left traumatised after responding to so many of these incidents.”
The number of knife crimes in England andwales has risen by six per cent to a new record high, according to official figures released on Friday.
Police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument rose to 46,265 for the year to March, up from 43,706 in the previous 12 months, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Murders in the capital rose by almost 20 per cent over the same period, from 120, of which 43 were aged under 24, to 149, with 52 victims under 24.
Dr Shelley Gilbert, founder of charity Grief Encounter, said: “With exposure to such frequent traumas, we have to wonder if that resilience turns to immunity as a coping mechanism.
“But this level of resilience and immunity has taken death talk to a new level – a dangerous, immoral, uncaring position rather than one of compassion, caring and support.
“We, as a society, have to take blame for it, the way people value their lives at such a low level that this kind of crime is no longer a headline but another daily story on page six or seven – one which fails to emotionally connect with readers.”
A Met Police spokesman said: “The Met is not complacent and one homicide, one stabbing, one violent incident, is one too many.
“Each one of these attacks is a tragedy, not just for the victims and their families and friends, but for our wider communities who are left reeling.
“We have now begun to see levels of violence begin to rise and the Met is responding.”
UNDER the Covid-19 lockdown, violence levels remained relatively stable. I would have expected to see a decline with young men – some of whom would usually be fighting others – not out at pubs. But police were just as busy dealing with inter-gang violence.
The staple of organised crime – illegal drugs – were harder to come by and distribute, which led to a lot of activity to control distribution to the people who want to buy it.
With ports and airports closed, the ability to get drugs into the country was severely constrained, which led to a great deal more organised crime than before lockdown.
Murders during lockdown remained stable and many were attributable to organised crime – targeted attacks or hits.
I found of the murders that did happen in lockdown, there was an element that was more extreme than we would expect to see normally.
There was a family annihilation in Sussex in the first week and Phoenix Netts was found chopped up in a suitcase in the forest of Dean.
There was something about lockdown that seemed to create a new normal when violence was being used. However, it is difficult to build a clear picture over the short space of time.
● Professor Wilson’s latest book, Signs of Murder (Sphere, £20), was published on Thursday