Susanna Reid fought back tears as she discussed knife crime with London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Good Morning Britain.
The presenter, who has three teenage sons, became emotional as she grilled Khan on “what he would say to parents” who were worried after the recent spate of knife attacks in the capital.
Reid said: “On Thursday, a 15-year-old boy was stabbed….honestly, I can’t talk about it without getting upset. I’ve got children the same age in the same part of a London.
“A 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death, just gone out to buy some chicken. On Friday night, a 17-year-old boy was at a tube station [and] stabbed to death.
“My kids are out on Clapham Common. How can I possibly say to them it’s safe for you to be out? Teenagers cannot go out in that part of London without worrying that they might get hurt.”
Reid, who is mum to 17-year-old Sam, 14-year-old Finn and 13-year-old Jack, later posted on Twitter about rising knife crime.
She wrote: “Let me say I love London. I’m proud to be from South London. But parents are worried about their teenagers. Too many think they have to carry knives to be safe.
“People are scared of ‘grassing’ because of gang code. We need more and better policing @MayorofLondon @sajidjavid NOW.”
Reid also wrote that “the senseless waste of young life breaks her heart” as she came off-air from Monday’s show.
In response to the presenter’s comments, Khan said: “We’ve got to treat knife crime like an infection. So we’ve got to treat the infection, that means tough enforcement, that means more police officers on the streets like we’ve done.
“You’ve got to stop the infection spreading – [tackling] criminal gangs are really important [and] drugs are really important - thirdly, you’ve got to stop the infection happening in the first place. That’s why we are investing in preventative youth services.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.
