Man, 24, stabbed in sixth incident in south London within 24 hours

A sixth stabbing incident within 24 hours has taken place in south London, with four of the attacks happening within 1.5 miles of West Croydon train station.

Police said they were informed by the London ambulance service of a stabbing on London Road near the junction with Oakfield Road, Croydon – very close to the station – shortly after 3pm on Saturday.

“Officers attended and a crime scene is in place,” the local Metropolitan police service said. “A 24-year-old man has been taken to a south London hospital. We await an update on his condition.”

It did not comment on whether the assailant had been apprehended.

Tensions between gangs periodically flare up on London Road, the centre of a police “microbeat” with one of the highest levels of violent crime in London.

Reports of a Stabbing in West Croydon pic.twitter.com/UuBBFGlGAK

The incident swiftly follows the launch of a murder investigation after a man was stabbed to death in a spate of violence that also left at least nine injured in incidents at five locations in just over two hours between 6.56pm and 9.12pm on Friday.

One of two men stabbed at a property in Wisbeach Road died at the scene despite the emergency services’ efforts to save him. Officers were making door-to-door inquiries on Saturday as forensics experts investigated.

A new violence suppression unit was set up for the area in the vicinity of West Croydon station in an attempt to make sure serious crime did not return to pre-lockdown levels after a steep fall after the imposition of restrictions.

Police said there was not yet any evidence to suggest the first five stabbing incidents were connected and that they were being treated as isolated incidents.

The Met said: “Following an assessment at hospital, the victim’s condition has been confirmed as non life-threatening and non life-changing.”

The archdeacon of Croydon, Rosemarie Mallett, said the borough was “a very sad and traumatised place” on Saturday.

“We pray for our emergency responders dealing with these harrowing incidents,” she tweeted. “We pray for all community groups working on issues of serious youth violence, especially as lockdown has made such work very difficult.”