Two teenagers have been charged with weapons offences after British Transport Police (BTP) officers discovered the pair were carrying two large machetes during a stop-and-search at London’s Euston Underground station. The search was initially triggered by a ticketing issue, but the officers quickly found the menacing blades. The pair, aged 15 and 16, were arrested at the scene and taken into custody. They were later also arrested on suspicion of breaching court bail in an unrelated matter and have been charged with possession of an offensive weapon. Both are set to appear at Bromley Youth Court.

Footage of the arrest, shared by a witness, reveals the immense size of the machetes as officers remove them from the teenagers, who hang their heads while passengers pass by. The witness expressed shock at the sight of the weapons, noting the knives were even larger in person than they appeared on video. One of the youths reportedly pleaded with officers, insisting one of the weapons was not his.

This incident has intensified concerns about the ongoing knife crime crisis in London. Research from Policy Exchange highlights an 86% increase in knife offences in the capital over the past decade. London now accounts for roughly one-third of all knife crimes in England and Wales, with 16,879 offences recorded last year alone. The report coincides with the mayoralty of Sir Sadiq Khan, under whose tenure knife crime has seen a consistent rise, including a 9% increase in the past year.

Official data from the Metropolitan Police shows that for the 12 months leading up to December 2023, knife crime offences totalled 14,577, marking a 20% rise from the previous year. This figure reflects the scale of the problem in the capital, where incidents occur at a rate of approximately one every 30 minutes. Additional statistics reveal that knife-point robberies have surged by more than a third in the recent period, exacerbating fears about public safety.

Despite these worrying statistics, a spokesperson for the Mayor of London pointed to crime reductions in key areas since 2016, including falls in murders, gun crime, knife crime resulting in injury, and burglary. Teen murders, in particular, were reported to have reached their lowest level in a decade last year, suggesting some progress amid broader challenges.

The public reaction to the machete arrests at Euston taps into a wider debate about law enforcement’s response to violent crime and the policies needed to curb the growing tide of knife-related offences. Former Scotland Yard detective chief inspector David Spencer, author of the Policy Exchange report, called for a firm "crime fighting first" strategy to address what he described as an epidemic of knife crime, robbery, and street theft in London.

Overall, the discovery of such large weapons on young teenagers at a major transport hub underscores the persistent risks and growing fears around violent crime in the capital—highlighting the urgent need for effective interventions to protect communities and stem this troubling trend.

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Source: Noah Wire Services