Violent crime is on the rise.

A neighbour of mine in London was recently chased up and down the street for his watch by a man wielding a knife.

The terrifying encounter ended when a car approached.

This is being replicated across the country and in particular in our capital city.

Bonfire Night marked the grim culmination of a week in which five young men were stabbed to death.

As I write, new Home Office figures show London homicides have already passed the 2017 total.

Over half of victims are under 24, two thirds of them stabbed.

A 10-year study by the Royal London Hospital found that one in 10 stab victims is under 16, with attacks ‘spiking’ on schooldays between 4pm and 6pm.

And the violence is escalating, with more than half arriving with multiple stab wounds.

Duncan Bew, director of major trauma at Kings College Hospital, told The Times that more children are carrying knives because they fear the police cannot protect them.

He calls for “smarter deployment” of officers at stabbing hotspots and says that police must gain neighbourhood trust.

How true.

During three operational tours in Northern Ireland, my Guardsmen were soon coming back off patrol with valuable intelligence that could only be acquired on the streets.

Armed with this, we could better target stop and search.

Similarly, the police can be equally effective, but more bobbies are needed urgently on the beat for this to be the case.

The Home Secretary himself agrees.

Sajid Javid has said: “Police numbers have to be an important part of the solution. Let’s not pretend that it’s not.”

So, if more officers are needed, let’s have them, and fast.