21/02/2018 London News

That's all from the BBC News at Six

- so it's goodbye from me

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's

news teams where you are.

Tonight on BBC London News.

Two young men are murdered

in separate knife attacks

within a mile of each

other in Camden.

A grieving mother says

the violence must stop.

Here in the community, concerns are

being raised about the safety of

young people with big questions

being asked as to how something like

this can be prevented from happening

again in the future. Also ahead:

Could London learn

from Norway when it

comes to improving our

prisons and rehabilitation.

We've a special report.

Potholes, pollution

and more speed limits -

why the roads could be about to get

worse for drivers in the capital.

And the catwalk show

that lured the Queen

to London fashion week.

We speak to the designer

at his Peckham studio.

Good evening, welcome

to the programme.

Four stabbings in one day.

Two young lives lost.

They were murdered in

separate attacks in Camden.

One family - who's now lost two

sons to the violence -

has told BBC London they feel let

down by the police.

It once again tragically

highlights the growing problem

of knife crime in our city.

Today, the Met Commissioner said

"London must come together.

We will not police our way

out of this problem".

Let's get more from

Frankie McCamley, she's

in Belsize Park this evening.

Frankie?

Those four stabbings that took place

last night took place within the

space of just seven hours. I will

take you to the timeline of events.

The first on Kilburn Highroad -

a 40 year-old man stabbed

at around half past three.

He was airlifted to hospital

and is in a stable condition.

Then around 8.20pm yesterday evening

a 16-year-old was stabbed

on Aldenham Street -

he was taken to hospital

with non-life threatening injuries.

Ten minutes later

another teenager -

17-year-old Abdikarim Hassan

was fatally stabbed

on Bartholomew Road.

Then another death

less than two hours

after that - just after 10pm -

20-year-old Sadiq Adan Mohamed

was stabbed and killed

on Malden Road.

Later it emerged that his brother

had been killed just months earlier.

My colleague has been speaking to

his mother.

He was my friend. He was

my son. He was a good man. I don't

know what happened last night, but

my son has died.

The last photo of

her son, Sadiq. When she received

the news she was already grieving,

she lost her other son, Mohammed,

five months ago, he was fatally

stabbed. And her nephew was also

stabbed to death four years before.

Why? A mother has lost two sons.

You

have lost two sons.

In five months.

And my sister's son.

You said they

were both good lads, educated.

Yes.

Is there any chance they could have

had enemies, could have been

involved in gang culture of any

kind?

No, no, no. Do you think

enough is being done to tackle knife

crime?

No. In my borough, all of the boys

are carrying knives.

There's a lot

of lives here?

Yes.

She is a mother

with an unimaginable loss. She

blames it on the knife culture in

the community which, she says, the

police have done little to tackle.

I

cannot sleep tonight. How can I...

What is your message to the people

who carry knives, who are intent on

using them, and use them on -- used

them on both of your sons, what is

your message as a mother who has

lost two sons to knife crime to

those people?

Please stop. No good,

knife, I don't like it. Please, I

beg you, anybody who has a nice,

stop, please. Please and please.

That was my colleague speaking to

Sadiq's mother, one of the victims

of last night's stabbings. Run the

corner this evening at a local

community centre they were meant to

be having a general meeting this

evening, but the local MP along with

the Met police have taken over half

an hour off that meeting to reassure

the public and answer any questions

they may have. I was speaking to the

leader of that community centre who

told me a little bit about how

people have been feeling over the

last 24 hours.

Varies tension. They

are worried. They are scared. --

among the community there is

tension. Everybody I have spoken to

is worried about their children. The

community needs to be reassured of

that. We need to do more and give

real solutions to ensure this

doesn't happen again.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner

has today called for London to come

together here. Extra police officers

are said to be on the streets in

this area tonight. One car with four

armed people has been stopped

already this evening but clearly big

questions are being asked tonight.

How did this happen again and what

can be done to tackle this problem?

Thank you.

Understandable concern there -

what about preventing

this from happening.

Our Political Editor Tim Donovan

is here - no easy answers,

but what is being done?

Expressions of condolence and loss

across the board, not just the

commission, but the Mayor, the local

MP, the local council also

concerned, and the Home Office. The

Home Office reminding us that in the

spring the government is meant to be

coming out with its serious violent

strategy. Increasingly this is a

concern in the political sphere.

This is the underlying reason why.

In London, when you look at some of

the serious violence, last year over

14,000 knife crime offences. That is

up 27% in a year. One of the

reasons, we know they are conflicts,

some say it is about the lack of

resources, lack of police officers,

but others are aware that there are

other underlying causes. We met up

with a woman whose son, eight years

ago, was stabbed to death in north

London. Now she campaigned on the

issue. She is convinced about the

need for early intervention, social

workers, teachers, youth workers,

trying to spot those who will be

susceptible not to just being

victims but perpetrators.

It does bring all of the memories

back. Then you are sat thinking of a

mother who is going through what you

went through eight years ago. And

the fact that nothing's really

changed, and the situation is

actually getting worse, it is just

alarming. Very alarming for parents.

Heartbreaking and compelling -

how does that translate

into actual changes?

It is perplexing. To many people it

looks completely intractable. We

heard from the Deputy Commissioner

today, Craig Mackey, saying the Met

police have access to increasingly

sophisticated data where they are

hoping, to see the point in that

person and upbringing they are more

likely to be using a knife, carrying

a knife, in gangs, or groups of

people where they might be victims.

He says there is also international

comparisons now in the Western

world. He would say that violent

crime is going up in many of those

places, with a few exceptions. No

consolation for anybody. The

poignancy of a mother losing two

children is piling on the pressure

tonight.

And unimaginable loss, too.

Thanks very much.

You're watching BBC

London News, coming up

later in the programme.

The actor going back to his London

roots to persuade young people

from disadvantaged backgrounds

to get into books.

Continuing our series

this week on the state

of London's prisons.

Tonight - can we learn from Norway?

They lock up half as many prisoners,

and have some of the lowest

re-offending rates in the world.

So should our prisons -

which are over-capacity

and under-staffed -

follow the Norwegian lead?

Marc Ashdown has

this special report.

Tor is a truck driver,

just finishing his daily shift

delivering goods around Trondheim,

he is also serving

five years in prison.

Towards the end of their sentence,

some prisoners can stay in this open

unit and get a job to help them

re-adjust when released.

It's easier for you when you come

out and you can be a better

neighbour, than if you come

from inside and start

to work the day after.

Inmates have to earn this,

all of them start their sentences

at one of 43 prisons across Norway.

The worst criminals like mass

murderer Anders Breivik are kept

in high security wings

and may never be released.

But for most, the road

to rehabilitation starts early.

Drug offenders like this

young man are offered

treatment programmes,

and trips out.

A few times a week and we are

outside the prison, actually,

playing football. And land hockey.

Instead of sitting inside doing

nothing. We work with the

progression of getting back into the

community.

To that end there are

courses run by the local school or

training in mechanics and woodwork.

You have a piece of paper, telling

you what they are working with, what

training they have got. Hopefully it

will help them get a proper job when

they have done their time in prison.

Everything about life in this prison

is geared towards working with the

inmates, giving them all of the

support and tools they need to fully

rehabilitate so that when they do

get out of here there is far less

chance of them coming back. There is

also a women's wing. Staff and

prisoners are encouraged to mix.

Inmates are only actually locked in

their prison cells at night.

I was

thinking about this movie prison.

But for a prison it is pretty good.

And you hope you get out and not

come back?

It's my first time and

it'll be my last time in prison.

It

has a smaller population but

comparatively Norway locks up half

as many people as Britain. Crime

rate and reoffending rates are

lower, too. The governor here says

they could -- we could learn from

their ethos.

Everybody has a right

to be together, be in a community

with other inmates. That is a basic

rule we must follow.

Stage two for

some prisoners is the other unit on

the outskirts.

It's open. There are

no walls. It is invisible walls

around there.

Here they have even

more freedom and run a garden centre

on site open to the general public.

In 30 years they've had 1100 inmates

and five attempted escapes. They

look after the horses, as well?

Yes.

We have inmates taking care of the

horses. They feel they get respect.

We believe in them. I know it is

cheaper to run an open prison

compared with maximum security

prison. We have all categories of

inmates here. We have all

categories.

If you want to do

something with your life, they are

working for you and try to find a

way, so you can come back to society

like a better person than you were

before.

They have a saying in

prisons here, the only thing we take

away is someone's freedom, but

everything possible is done to help

them get it back and keep it. Mark

Ashdown, BBC News, Trondheim,

Norway.

Next, it's not what

drivers want to hear.

Congestion and speed limits could be

about to get worse in the capital.

It's more than a war

of words between City Hall

and central government -

it's all about money.

As our Transport Correspondent

Tom Edwards explains.

Last night, teams were out repairing

the Euston underpass.

While this kind of safety

critical work will continue,

for the next two years

all non-essential repairs

on TfL's roads are on hold

due to a lack of money.

It could mean more speed and weight

restrictions for vehicles,

and more traffic jams.

Those who use the roads say

they are already in a bad way.

I have been a cab-driver

for 36 years.

In the last two years,

I've never known, you could never

imagine it would be 100 times worse.

Stressful, it's always

been stressful.

City Hall blames the government

for cutting the day to day operating

grant, and say the capital should

get a share of vehicle excise

duty that Londoners pay.

We've lost something

like 700 million annually

from the government grant.

Much of which are used

to go on to the roads.

And we think it is completely

unreasonable and unfair,

and the government needs

to understand there is a terrible

consequence if they let London's

drivers and London's economy down

by not helping London

run its roads properly.

TfL is facing challenges

to balance its budget.

It says it is delivering

efficiencies and investing

record amounts.

But the Mayor's opponent

blame his fares freeze which cost

£640 million over four years.

He has made some

really rash decisions.

He has employed people

when he did not need

to because of the unions.

He has cut fares when he didn't

need to, and starved

investment in transport.

Clearly it's extraordinary

a government is not funding public

transport in the capital city.

I think there is hardly any examples

of this across the world.

But when it comes down

to it it's also the Mayor

who is at fault here,

because he described TfL as a flabby

throughout the mayoral election,

but when it comes down to it

he needs to put as much money

as he can in to make sure

that the transport keeps

moving in London.

It's extremely unlikely

there will be any more funding

from the government.

Stuck in the middle

using deteriorating roads

the capital's drivers.

Tom Edwards, BBC London News.

Still to come this

Wednesday evening.

I'm in Peckham speaking to a London

fashion designer who is behind some

of those and some crash helmets too.

And the look of the weather won't

change too much. Largely dry, some

sunshine, but the feel of the

weather - that is going to change. I

will have all the details the later

on.

It began life as a parlour game

in Victorian England,

before spreading

throughout the world.

We all know it as 'ping pong' -

and tomorrow for the first time

the The Table Tennis team World Cup

is being held here in the capital.

Chris Slegg is at

The Copper Box Arena -

and it must bring back memories

because millions watched the sport

during the London Olympics?

It was a real spectator hit at 2012.

We have the England men's team

warming up. There will be a hundred

men and women players from 16

countries. Over there we have the

French team going through their

final drills. England men and women

are not among the medal favourites,

but valuable experience for them. I

talked to two of the players from

the capital. I asked how they're

feeling before the World Cup.

Very

excited, because we play the world's

best players and our family and

friend watch.

Getting to see the top

players is great and the place looks

amazing. I can't wait for it to

start.

Are there nerves?

Yes, but

what this to lose?

I can grab a

world the England technical

director. Some people are sniffy

about table tennis as a sport, will

having a World Cup in London help

raise its profile?

Absolutely.

Recommend to anybody to get down

here, there is still a few tickets

left, to see the best players in the

world and watch one of the fastest

reflex sports in the world and we

have both England teams represented,

the men and the women. A great

chance to see the best players in

the world.

In the Commonwealth Games

we did well in Glasgow, a clean

sweep in the mixed doubles, the Gold

Coast coming up in April, how many

medals can we win there?

We have to

wait and see. We have prepared for

all events, last time mixed doubles

was a big surprise. But we are

hoping, both teams will have a great

chance and doubles and mixed doubles

will be fighting again. So not going

to pick out a number. But we will be

competing in each event.

Thank you.

Hoping that England can do well in

Australia. Hopefully, who knows,

perhaps we can spring a surprise at

the team World Cup. If you want to

catch the tournament, there will be

coverage on the BBC web-site and the

BBC sport app. It started tomorrow

and runs until Sunday. Thank you.

From sport to the benefits

and joy of reading.

One London actor, who you might

recognise from The Walking Dead

and Line of Duty has been persuading

young people from disadvantaged

backgrounds to get into books.

Lennie James spent part

of his childhood in a home

before being fostered.

Sarah Harris has the story.

It is important to study.

Listening

in awe, children from one of the

poorest areas of London hearing from

a successful actor and writer about

how a love of books made him two he

is today. In his South London

children's home, Shakespeare was not

readily available and Lenny James

didn't consider himself a confident

reader until he was an adult.

We had

a class at drama school, where the

job was to read out loud and you

would read out and hand it on. I

remember being in that class and

being petrified of when it was my

turn of that book being passed down

was like a ticking bomb. I knew by

the time I got it it would stumble

and make jokes or do stuff to cover

up. But it was that I wasn't

confident at it. I made myself get

confident.

I would be disappointed

if you couldn't tell me the

titles...

Best known for roles in

the walking dead, Lenny is backing

the campaign to get kids into books.

We are encouraging parents, we are

encouraging carers and the children

themselves to go into libraries and

to access those books. Pick that

first book from the shelf.

These

14-year-old students from Newham

have got the message even if they

won't necessarily be turning the

pages themselves.

I think books just

help with not just your education,

but helps you, makes you who you

are.

They could see themselves in

the characters and take inspiration.

We to read books, just not hard

copies.

Whatever form the books

take, this group of students are

sold on the idea of reading and are

keen to pass on the word.

Now,

it was the talk of

London Fashion Week.

The Queen's surprise visit -

and her first ever appearance there.

Her majesty - front row of course -

was at the catwalk show

of London Designer, Richard Quinn -

whom she also gave an award.

Asad is at his studio in Peckham.

There much much excitement there?

Yes the the Queen Elizabeth award

for British design that won by the

man who designed these clothes. This

isn't quite my colour. But they were

printed on this machine. This studio

is also a print works. All these

clothes were on the cat walk in

front of queen. Richard Quinn, what

I'm interested in, these are like

foil dresses, what did the Queen

make of these?

These are more show

pieces to see what we can do with

print.

You're in Peckham, under the

railway arch, which is the noise we

can hear. A couple of doors down is

your dad with his scaffolding

community.

Yes it is a nice

community feel. It is nice if dad

pops in.

You grew up in South east

London, looking at the inspiration

here, I am wondering, it is not the

south-east London I knew and grew

up. Where did you get the creativity

from?

Growing up in London you get a

sense of creativity and this is a

culmination of growing up and all

the stuff I experienced in London.

You only graduated 18 months ago and

have already got your eye on helping

students.

We have an open access for

young designer, working with the

British fashion council and others,

it is a cultural hub.

These shop

These are some of the prints. These

are shoes, can you believe it? And

these cash helmet, I used to be a

biker, I can't imagine wearing

these. But they were worn on the cat

walk.

It is to bring print into

different context we worked with

other companies and makers and it is

about bringing print to different

objects.

One quick question - has an

interviewer I would say after 18

months of success, in five years

time what do you want to be doing?

Continue to be creative and help

others.

We will keep an eye on how

you do. You have had an amazing

start. Back to you.

Thank you and

congratulations to Richard. I love

the fact he was confused by the

shoes. Now the weather and talk of

sartorial elegance. Hello Ben.

shoes. Now the weather and talk of

sartorial elegance. Hello Ben.

I

hope he does a line in scarves and

gloves. The weather won't change

much in terms of how it looks, but

things are going to start to feel

colder. Our weather watcher in

Stevenage captured today's scene of

cloud and sunny spells. This one

found these daffodils poking

through. I think the daffodils might

start to struggle, because we are

going to see more in the way of

frost. Now a frost tonight. Some

cloud floating around. One or two

showers. But the vast majority

staying dry over night. The winds

relatively light and temperatures

hovering around freezing. A couple

of degrees either side. A touch of

frost tomorrow morning. Could be the

odd mist patch. For most a fine

start with sunshine. We will see

large areas of cloud through the

morning. But by the afternoon,

bringing some drier air in from the

east. So a lot of the cloud should

melt away. Temperatures five, or six

degrees and the winds just starting

to pick up. So things will start to

feel that bit chillier. Very similar

conditions on Friday. Areas of

cloud, sunny spells as well.

Temperatures similar, around 4 to 7

degrees. But those winds picking up

making the feel of the day rather

chilly and the winds are picking up,

because this high pressure across

Scandinavia is building in

intensity. You can see more isobars

appearing. That shows the winds will

be stronger and the winds bringing

cold air from the east. Here is our

out look. You can see the way the

temperatures dip away through the

weekend and into next week. By next

week the temperatures struggling to

get above freezing and add on the

wind and it will feel cold.

Thank

you. That is it for now. More from

the London newsroom at 10.30 and I