Knife wands could be introduced into London schools to help tackle knife crime.

Every school in London will be offered the metal-detecting "wands" which will allow teachers and staff to check for knives, the Mayor's office announced yesterday.

The measure is part of Mayor Sadiq Khan's knife crime strategy, which will see £7 million invested in a number of projects to reduce youth knife crime.

Since January, 24 people under the age of 25 have been fatally stabbed across London and in 2016 knife crime increased by 14 per cent in England and Wales.

Mr Khan said: "Every death on the streets of London is an utter tragedy, and I am deeply concerned about the rise in knife crime on London’s streets.

"Dozens of families have been bereaved; many more have seen their loved ones severely injured.

"We need to send a strong signal that carrying and using knives is totally and utterly unacceptable."

The Mayor of London also spoke out against the cuts to youth funding that has been seen over the last few years, calling out the government to "step up".

Other measures in the new strategy include a £2 million increase in funding for supporting knife crime victims and their families, extending a safe haven scheme to fast food outlets and TfL and a media campaign targeting online videos which "glorify" knife crime.