Boris Johnson visits Elephant for knife crime "fight back"

"I believe this new crackdown by the police is a vital part of the fight back against the terrible scourge of knife crime," says Boris Johnson.

"That's why I came to see the Met's new anti crime operation at first hand today with the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Met Commissioner Ian Blair.

"This is only one area in which we are making changes. I want more intelligence-led police initiatives focused on key estates, more handheld scanners and knife arches to detect guns and knives and a huge drive to get kids off the streets and into activities which raise their aspirations and help turn their lives around.

"Everybody is shocked by the level of violence we are seeing, particularly towards young people in London and we must work as hard as we can together to reverse this dreadful trend."