180 kids a week stopped and searched
POLICE stop and searches of under-18s have rocketed by 250 per cent in Islington following growing concern about knife crime.
And more children under the age of 10 are being searched in the borough than almost anywhere else in London.
Nearly 9,500 young people under 18 were stopped and searched by Islington police in 2008 compared to just 2,663 in 2004 - an average of 180 a week.
The figures, revealed by a Freedom of Information request, also show that 34 children under the age of 10 were stopped and searched in Islington in 2008 - the third highest amount anywhere in the capital.
Chief Superintendent Mike Wise, borough commander of Islington police, said: "In 2007/2008 this borough saw three young people tragically lose their lives through the carrying and use of knives. Since then my officers have been engaged in pro-active and intelligence-led operations to tackle youth violence, arrest those responsible and reduce levels of crime.
"I continue to maintain engagement with local community representatives to ensure that our stop and searches are fully understood and supported. The increased use of stop and search supports Operation Blunt 2 - a London-wide initiative to tackle violence within communities and to ensure that the Met does everything possible to keep young people safe."
John Lambert, 41, of Barnsbury Grove, Barnsbury, who founded youth charity The Kids Are Alright Foundation following a spate of stabbings in Islington, said: "It's symptomatic of the reason why we exist. Parents and society are saying to the police 'it's your problem to resolve'.
"We know there are under 10s who are carrying knives. We can't have it both ways. We criticise the police when they're not effective and we criticise them when they're over-effective - real discipline should start at home. If the problem wasn't there the police wouldn't need misplaced or misguided policies."
Youth worker Natalie Suliman, 24, who runs Sky High, a weekly series of workshops for teenage girls at St Mary's Youth Club, in Upper Street, said: "In Islington there's a lot history between young people and the police, because it is quite a working class area. The police have got more involved in the community to break down barriers but when you hear statistics like this they are raising them up again and destroying all the good stuff. They need to get more hands-on and involved with young people - how can you stop kids younger than 10?"
A total of 21,808 under 18s were stopped and searched in Islington between 2004 and 2008 - the sixth highest amount of any London borough. Last year 9,343 were stopped compared to less than 7,000 in neighbouring Hackney and less than 6,000 in Camden.
A spokeswoman for Islington police said: "The stop and search of individuals under 10 years old represents just 0.4 per cent of the total stop and search activity in Islington in 2008, which is in line with other London boroughs. The public will be aware that those found committing crime and anti-social behaviour are, on occasion, in this age bracket.
"For the very young in this category, it may be that they are with an adult who has been stopped and searched and this is the reason for their inclusion in the search procedure."
Kit Malthouse, deputy mayor for policing and Metropolitan Police Association vice-chair, said: "When the Mayor and I took office last year, we were faced with an appalling death toll in the capital.
"The use of geographically targeted stop and search has resulted in 3,100 arrests and the recovery of 1,500 knives. What many Londoners have acknowledged is that a knife seized from a stop and search is a knife that might have killed or injured another young person.
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