I'm afraid to open my newspaper, moans Countess du Ruel. Each day brings another senseless murder of another bright and promising young man. I don't know what the statistics are, but London feels more dangerous than New York. You just have to look at someone the wrong way, and you're dead!

Now an eighteen-year-old aspiring actor is the latest victim of a stabbing in southeast London. Like the murder victim two weeks ago he was trying to protect his brother. Now another grief-stricken family is mourning the loss of a son. In one instant of violence a beloved young son is gone. Lives are destroyed forever. These crimes have no reason. The victims just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I keep asking why is it that unlike countries in Europe, these random crimes have become an epidemic in England? Is it a cultural issue, or is it that once these random murders start taking place, they self-perpetuate? And the knife culture has grabbed hold like a virus. Each crime breeds another copy-cat one? I heard youths talking on television saying they are afraid to go out without a knife, because 'people out there want to kill you.' Why? Why are there people 'out there' on the street who want to kill people whom they don't know.

This is street terrorism. My sister who lives in Bruges phoned me and asked why can't the knives be taken away from these dangerous youths? People outside England don't understand why more isn't being done to stop this slaughter. They don't want to come to England, and they don't want their children to come. My Spanish friend, Consuela, who lives in Paulton's Square, says she doesn't sleep at night until her nineteen-year-old son comes home. Many of my friends worry about their children being out on the street.

Why not make it an offence to carry these weapons? Stop and Search is good. A person carrying a knife should be charged with a serious crime. This should be our top priority, or are we just so complacent and used to these crimes that we don’t respond any more. This is the 14^th senseless, pointless killing this year. When is action going to be taken to stop the blood shed?