Knife crime has blighted North London for too long.

Last month, the Government pledged any adult caught in possession of a knife or bladed weapon would face a mandatory six-month prison sentence.

Sadly, the proposed sentencing powers do not yet extend to those under the age of 18.

Gang culture appears to be spreading, yet a teenager can carry a knife and escape punishment. Would-be murderers are getting away with it every day.

Our message to them is: Don’t carry, Don’t kill But is that enough?

Eleven people have now been quizzed by detectives investigating the murder of 21-year-old Andrew Jaipaul, from Finsbury Park.

Three weeks after police officers found Mr Jaipaul in a pool of blood where he died in Andover Road, Holloway, no one has been charged with his murder.

Three teenagers are among the rising tally of those being questioned by detectives, as they investigate claims his attack was the result of a gang fight involving up to 20 teenagers and young men. And this week, an Old Bailey jury heard how Tottenham rapper Godwin Lawson, 17, was stabbed to death in a knife attack that lasted just 20 seconds.

The teenager had been walking home in March, last year, when he was set upon in Amhurst Park, in Stamford Hill, Hackney.

The Government cannot continue to turn a blind eye to this spiralling and seemingly out-of-control problem.

Therefore, the Haringey Independent backs the call to include those under the age of 18, in the outlined mandatory sentencing.

A six-month spell behind bars or in a young offenders’ institution is a far stronger deterrent than a caution or community sentence.

Of those caught carrying a knife last year, more than 40 per cent were under the age of 18.

The community is already being proactive.

A peace march in honour of Godwin, last April, attracted hundreds of people who wore white T-shirts with the letters RIP on them.

His aunt Evelyn Adu said: “We are here to spread awareness for the young ones, so they know there are surgeons out there using knives to save lives, so what are they using knives for?

“They just have to reflect and think. Godwin has left behind parents, friends, sisters. The young ones should sit and reflect.”

That is the real aim of this campaign: to ensure children are safe on the streets.

We hope by campaigning in favour of tougher sentences for knife carriers, the streets of North London will become a safer place for our children.

The introduction of a mandatory sentence for children may be seen as too little too late for the devastated families of Andrew Jaipaul and Godwin Lawson, but it may mean others do not have to come to terms with burying a loved one far too early.