Police in Richmond today welcomed the father of Stephen Lawrence and chairman of the Met’s Knife Crime Reference Group to Twickenham Police Station.

Dr Lawrence attended along with ex-commander John Grieve CBE QPM, who was head of the Met’s Racial and Violent Crime Task Force, to discuss policing and community engagement and both shared their experiences with officers on the borough.

Richmond’s Borough Commander Parm Sandhu said it was a “huge privilege” to welcome the guests.

He said: “Dr Neville Lawrence is now heavily involved in the knife strategy forum with the government and the Met, with the aim of protecting our young people.

“Having lived through the tragic death of his own son Stephen, there is no other person who understands the blight that such a tragic issue can have on a family and community.”

Dr Lawrence lost his only son on April 22, 1993, when he was stabbed to death by a gang of racist thugs.

It took nearly 20 years for two men, Gary Dobson and David Norris, to be convicted of the murder after a trial based on forensic evidence.

Richmond and Twickenham Times: Stephen, a would-be architect, was just 18 when he was murdered 

Mr Sandhu added: “Dr Lawrence has worked tirelessly since Stephen’s death to improve and influence strategy and legislation.

“It is with this in mind that he accepted my invitation to visit the Borough and have a guided tour.

“He visited the late turn parade and speaking with officers who were on duty and then met with my Leadership Team to discuss and identify ways of working together in the future.

“I am very pleased that he visited us and hope that we all benefit from the time and effort he dedicated to his fact finding mission.

“In addition to Dr Lawrence we were also honoured to have Professor John Grieve, who retired from the Met as a Commander.

“John was in charge of the Met’s Racial and Violent Crime task force and has experienced first-hand some of the more high profile investigations and their impact on both victims and suspect families. John is now involved with teaching and influencing our graduates for the future.

“Both of our guests have chosen to visit the borough with the objective of fact-finding and meeting the officers who are on the front line and who everyday deal with so many people in crisis and are regularly involved in distressing incidents.

“My teams and I thoroughly enjoyed welcoming Dr Lawrence and Professor Grieve to the borough, spending time with them, and having the opportunity to sit down and discuss our experiences with them.”