Pastor who lost son to knife crime pleads with churches to take action as murder rate spikes

An emergency meeting was held at Scotland Yard, with police and MPs forced to address the sudden increase in violent crime across London.

More than 50 people have been killed since the start of the year, 35 of them were knifed.  Another 6 people, including a 13-year-old boy were stabbed on Thursday.

Pastor Lorraine Jones told Premier it feels “terrible” to hear about all the killings.

“My relationship with God keeps me strong, but hearing of another stabbing or shooting, or even an attack, it brings back memories of when Dewayne was stabbed,” she said.

“He was on the life support machine for two days, so I have the experience of praying and believing he will come through and them him finally dying.”

Members of the public take part in an Anti Knife/Gun rally by Hackney Central Station in east London following the fatal stabbing of 18 year old Israel Ogunsola on Wednesday

Impassioned demonstrators from local churches and community groups called for unity at a rally in Hackney Central station on Thursday, close to where Israel Ogunsola, 18, was stabbed to death on Wednesday evening.

Jones said churches must take action to prevent violent crimes, and also be there to help families impacted by such tragedies.

She said: “Unfortunately we do have a tendency to keep in our comfort zone within the…