Knifed in the New Year

LONDON’S first stabbing of the year took place on our patch – in Edmonton, Enfield.
I say first because regrettably if last years number of 27 teenagers killed in violent attacks is anything to go by, there will be more.
In 2007, eight victims were shot, one was beaten to death and most of the rest were stabbed.
Last week, I reported on a stabbing (not fatal) that happened on a bus on an afternoon just three days before Christmas.
Today, I dashed down to the crime scene on the way to the office to get the news on the latest incident, spoke to residents, got the quotes and filed for tomorrows Gazette.
Henry Bolombi, was on a night bus, returning home with a bunch of nine friends from a new year party. He was 18.
The group was chased by a gang of youths after stepping off the bus before the murder at about 6:30am.
This is London in the 21st century.
It’s shocking and not so shocking at the same time.
As much as London is a paranoid city wedged within a neurotic country harbouring a society under constant surveillance courtesy of CCTV cameras, we’re are in turn a society sick with an infectious virus – the desire to kill by violence.
The reason behind what drives such attacks – many of them carried out by criminals that are getting younger and younger is incomprehensible.
As journalists we must get on with the job of reporting the facts.
I won’t doubt that it’s not exciting running around in the middle of live events that turn into breaking hard news.
But it’s not true that doing it day in day out toughens our skins beyond feeling.
On my own way home tonight, I started thinking about our editor Gary O’Keeffe who’s cousin, Stuart was murdered two years ago.
It’s horrid, heartbreaking.
Here’s a link to him talking about it on his blog on Stuart’s anniversary last month:
http://blog.enfieldadvertiser.co.uk/archives/2007/12/a_life_lost_ove.html