Young people fear becoming victims of knife crime this summer We are making a difference with the policing solutions, with the stop and search, lifting knives off the streets and we are going to be making a difference in the long-term... London Mayor Boris Johnson

21 teenagers so far have died violently in London this year. The last was 18-year-old Frederick Moody Boateng knifed on 17 July in Lambeth. Now a new survey commissioned by BBC London and conducted among 501 young people aged between 13 and 18 finds 55% of young people in the London boroughs of Brent, Croydon, Hackney, Lambeth, and Southwark fear becoming victims of knife crime this summer.

A similar survey carried out last year amongst the same age group and London Boroughs, this year’s appears to show increase in the perception of crime. For example, the perception of gun crime has heightened from 17% to 22% since November 2007.

Findings include 45% of respondents who claimed they knew someone who had been a victim of knife crime. And the fear of being a victim of crime was cited by 32% as a reason for people carrying weapons. The survey also finds that 39% of young people carry knives because they want so-called “respect", and this remains the most popular apparent reason for carrying a knife. And the number of young people who blame peer pressure for joining a gang has doubled to 6%.

Despite London Mayor Boris Johnson’s recent assertions about targeting youth crime and the government’s recent hastily convened meeting of agencies on the subject, the survey also finds that 75% do not think that the Mayor or the government has the ability to reduce knife crime.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Johnson said:

"We are making a difference with the policing solutions, with the stop and search, lifting knives off the streets and we are going to be making a difference in the long-term by changing the lives of kids who are currently going wrong."