Spiralling London murder rate prompts scramble to repair damage done by austerity — but for many it is already too late

London now on course to end 2018 with highest number of killings seen for a decade

Police at Tulse Hill, where a 16-year-old was fatally stabbed (Getty)

With the number of killings in London on course to hit a 10-year high, debate is raging on what is behind the escalating bloodshed.

This year’s 121 victims have spanned generations, nationalities and genders. They have died as a result of knife attacks, shootings, beatings, arson and domestic abuse.

But it is a bloody spate of street stabbings that has provoked a wave of grief and anger, after claiming the lives of teenagers as young as 15.