The Met has confirmed that a social worker was the third victim in a multiple stabbing that saw two police officers also seriously injured when they responded to a ‘concern for welfare’ call in north London last night.
Officer’s said that shortly before 20:00 hrs on Friday, 6 August, police were called to assist a social worker who was attempting to check on the welfare of children at an address in Noel Park Road, N22.
When the occupants of the address refused the officers entry, they forced the door open.
While inside the communal area of the building, the social worker – a 61-year-old man employed by Haringey Council – was stabbed multiple times.
In their efforts to restrain the attacker, two police officers also sustained knife wounds. Both the police officers and the social worker were rushed to hospital.
A 33-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of GBH. He remains in custody.
Two other men were also arrested at a nearby property in connection with the incident. The nature of their involvement is still being established.
The social worker who was stabbed remains in hospital, but his injuries have been assessed as non-life threatening.
The officers who were injured were also taken to hospital. They were discharged in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A spokesperson for the Met Police confirmed that steps have been taken to ensure the welfare of the children who were the subject of the initial welfare visit.
Chief Superintendent Treena Fleming, policing commander for Haringey and Enfield, said:
“Social workers play a vital role in ensuring that vulnerable people in our community, including children, are safe and protected.
“We have a very close working relationship with our local authority partners and their social services teams and I am appalled at this shocking attack. We will do all we can to ensure the person responsible is brought to justice. Our thoughts here at North Area are with the injured social worker and his family and we wish him a speedy recovery.
“I would also like to pay tribute to the two officers who came to the aid of the victim in this incident, sustaining knife wounds themselves as they did so. I’m pleased that they have been able to leave hospital and we will make sure they have our full support as they recover from what would have been a traumatic experience.
“This incident shows just how much of a threat knives pose to everyone in Haringey and across London. Tackling violent crime is the Met’s number one priority and the events of Friday evening only serve to strengthen our determination as we continue to take weapons off the streets and bring offenders to justice.”
The Leader of Haringey Council, Cllr Peray Ahmet, and the local authority’s Chief Executive, Zina Etheridge, said in a joint statement:
“This is a shocking incident. Our first thoughts are with the social worker, the two police officers, their families and friends. We are so relieved to hear that everyone is expected to make a full recovery.
“Social workers do an incredibly important job. Their safety is of uppermost importance to us. This type of incident, while rare, is an important reminder that frontline staff across the public sector put themselves in harm’s way to do their jobs and we should all express our thanks and support for them as they do so.
“We also want to express our admiration and respect for the two police officers, who we understand sustained their injuries while protecting the social worker.
“Haringey Council will provide all the necessary support to him as he recovers from this traumatic incident and to our wider teams, who will of course be concerned by what has happened.”
Anyone with information about this incident should call 101, providing the reference 2347/05AUG.
Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.
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