Four fatal stabbings in so many years makes Paddington Green a hotspot for stabbings not only in the City of Westminster but probably in the whole of London. Yesterday’s lunchtime fatal stabbing, just adds to the pattern that has been obvious for sometime now unfortunately. 

Additional Youth services are a must whilst policing activities on knife crime needs increasing focus in Paddington Green. On the former, the previous Tory administration of the Council had cut it down to the bone, to maintain a low council tax.  We need to restore the Youth Service we had in the borough and have it particularly focused in hot spots like Paddington Green. There are some Youth activities in the locality offered at the Little Venice Sports Centre by one of our local coppers, Paul Reading and his weekly boxing classes. So we need to build on that clearly with additional boxing classes and maybe five-side football, as well as other sporting activities. 

Yesterday, fatality occurred in St Mary’s church yard. It’s a long neglected part of the neighbourhood with huge potential to be turned into another Paddington Gardens, as l have argued on this blog page. But maybe with the underused sports centre – Little Venice Sports Centre – at one end of the the Church Yard, the whole of St Mary’s church yard could do with a sporting upgrade with outside gym facilities. 

Money should not be an issue either capital or revenue, given the CIL monies available from developers of both phases of West End Gate which immediately looks over Paddington Green. Let’s just hope the will exists to get the boys to drop their knifes. 

And it goes without saying that some urgent community work needs to be undertaken with the local Kurdish community along the Edgware Rd, who have now lost three young sons amongst the four stabbing fatalities at Paddington Green.  I trust the council is prepared to do this urgently, as it must be unsettling to lose so many young men who’s lives have barely began.