The Mayor of London has given assurances that he is taking serious youth violence and knife crime in the borough “extremely seriously”.

GLA member for Harrow Navin Shah wrote a letter to Sadiq Khan earlier this month after being concerned by the number of fatal stabbings in Harrow and Brent this year.

On January 23, 15-year-old Quamari Serunkuma-Barnes was attacked in Willesden and on Monday, February 27, 34 year old father of two Mohammed Al-zufairi was stabbed on a busy high street in Wealdstone.

Mr Shah asked for “swift action” from the Mayor to reduce knife crime across Harrow and London as a whole.

He said: “It deeply concerns me that these devastating incidents seem to be happening more and more: the escalation of knife crime on our streets is not something any of us should accept.

“I visited the Ignite Trust Centre in Wealdstone, which works with vulnerable young people aged 13 to 25. There was a real sense of anxiety amongst the young people, volunteers, and trustees.”

In his reply, Mr Khan extended “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the young men who lost their lives.

He said: “It is absolutely unacceptable to me as Mayor, as a Londoner and as a father of two teenage daughters growing up in our city.”

He also outlined proposals to tackle knife crime across the capital as part of a strategy which will be published in June.

Mr Khan told Mr Shah that it will focus on tackling London’s gangs, cracking down on shops selling knives, and will deliver more “robust” community payback for those found to be carrying knives.

Schools and communities will also have a role in knife crime prevention and early intervention.