"A contagious personality". An "icon for black boys in the UK". A "young king".

At 25, Harry Uzoka was a rising star in the British fashion industry. He had modeled for major brands like Zara and Mercedes and appeared in this month's issue of GQ magazine. "He would light up the room and make everyone on set smile," tweeted fashion company G-Star RAW.

But last week, Uzoka was stabbed and killed in East Acton, London. The Metropolitan Police described the attack as a "robbery gone wrong", and two people have now been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Uzoka's famous face has attracted attention to the crime. And yet he is the fifth young man to be killed by a blade in London in just two weeks. During New Year celebrations, four men aged between 17 and 20 were stabbed and killed in unrelated attacks just hours apart.

In total, 80 people died in knife attacks in London in 2017, a rise of 33%. Thousands more were injured.

"Many young Londoners inhabit an environment akin to a war zone," wrote the head of the 4Front Project, which aims to tackle youth violence, after the New Year's stabbings. "The threat of serious violence is constant."

In response, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched a campaign called London Needs You Alive, which asks young people not to carry knives in the first place. He also said the capital would see a "tougher crackdown" on violent crime this year, including more stop and search tactics by the police.

The causes of knife crime are complex. In October 2016 the head of a police task force on the issue said people were "probably being influenced by their siblings, by their peer group".

Many academics point to poverty and inequality as the root causes of violent crime.

Meanwhile, a young man interviewed by the BBC in November said he carried a knife for one simple reason: protection. "It's a part of life now," he explained.

Yes, say some. There is no excuse for carrying a knife on the streets; not when bright young people are losing their lives for no reason. The police must send the message that it is not worth the risk of carrying, to begin with, and that doing so could land you in prison. The only way to do this is through more arrests and longer sentences.

Others argue that harsh policing only inflames tensions, and creates mistrust between young people and the authorities whose job is to protect them. Instead, London should follow
Glasgow, where more money is spent on things like community leaders who work with young people to stop violence; education programmes; and job support. As a result, murder rates in the city have dropped by 60%. Talking tough is simply not enough.