Calls to combat London knife crime
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The murder of Steven Bigby in London's Oxford Street has prompted more calls to combat knife crime.
Mr Bigby, 22, from Hackney, north London, was stabbed in the chest on Monday in a row which erupted after a drink was thrown.
The incident follows the recent murders of 16-year-old 'gentle giant' Jimmy Mizen, who was killed in Lee, south-east London, and the fatal stabbing of Lyle Tulloch, 15, who was killed in the stairwell of a block of flats in Peckham.
The Metropolitan Police responded to the 'horrendous events' by announcing the deployment of stop and search teams to target areas.
Home Secretary Jaqui Smith and London Mayor Boris Johnson were also among those putting the fight against knife crime high on their list of priorities.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Tim Godwin said the first team of 15 officers would target a London borough tonight.
Police will be able to stop and search people under Section 60 of the Public Order Act, which does not require reasonable suspicion.
Mr Godwin said, under Operation Blunt, he hoped to deploy up to 10 search teams within the next 10 days, armed with wands and knife arches.
He said: 'Our objective is not about harassing anybody. It's about making everybody as safe as we can in London and if people walk around with knives it dramatically reduces your safety because you could end up with it stuck in you.'
He said it was a 'fairly in your face' method of policing but officers had been sharing intelligence with local communities and the indications were that the tactic had their support.
At an earlier briefing, the Met's acting Deputy Chief Inspector Bob Mahoney, said Mr Bigby died after two groups of black men clashed outside a McDonald's restaurant.
Detectives are hunting four black men aged between 20 and 30 who fled the scene.
One of the four men who fled was wearing a red t-shirt, another was wearing a white t-shirt, the third was in a vest and muscularly built while the fourth was dressed in dark clothing.
There were four people in one group and at least three people in Mr Bigby's group.
Mr Mahoney said: 'Two groups of black men came together. A drink was thrown. The incident escalated very quickly and Steven was fatally stabbed.
'At the moment we are treating it as a spontaneous incident.
'There is nothing to suggest that this is a gang related crime or linked to any other incidents. We are still looking into it.
'There is a possibility that the four men were walking up and down on Oxford Street during the afternoon. It is possible they may have been seen promenading.'
Forensic tests are being carried out on the knife which was recovered at the scene.
Speaking in Brixton, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said he was meeting with police about an 'immediate operational response' to the stabbing.
