Lambeth Council has written to the Prime Minister demanding “immediate national action” on crime and more resources for police following the second killing on the borough’s streets in a week.

Theresa May held an emergency knife crime summit following a spate of stabbings yesterday.

The letter calls for the government to invest in youth programmes, including emotional support initiatives for primary school children and to take action on the flow of drugs, weapons and human trafficking into the country.

This comes after a 25-year-old man was shot dead on Wednesday in West Norwood, with another man stabbed through his car window on Friday afternoon on Clapham High Street.

Both these incidents have left residents “feeling fearful especially for the safety of their children,” according to the letter, penned by council leader Jack Hopkins and cabinet member for community safety Mohammed Seedat.

“We believe national action should be taken well beyond the remit of any one local authority or even a city,” they wrote.

They called on the Prime Minister to “recognise the gravity of this situation and take immediate steps” including to deploy additional border resource to “stem the flow of drugs, weapons and human trafficking into this country, arguably the root in the surge in serious violence.”

The letter also calls for a response to modern slavery, including child grooming and exploitation, and increased scrutiny of social media platforms which are “fuelling humiliation based violence.”

It also calls on more funding and provision for police and agencies to allow them to use anti-slavery legislation in gang-related cases, and to build trust and consent with their communities.

It also calls for increased provision for trauma and emotional support programmes for children.