Stop and search could be stepped up in Sheffield after second murder within two days

Police at the scene in Lowedges, where a 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death

A 15-year-old boy died after being found knifed yesterday evening in Lowedges, close to the busy A61 Chesterfield Road South dual carriageway.

His death followed another knife attack in Woodhouse on Tuesday night, in which 19-year-old Ryan Jowle was killed.

Detectives face unprecedented demand with three murders in Sheffield in three da...

The killings are not believed by police to be linked at this stage but the district commander for Sheffield, Chief Superintendent Stuart Barton, said two fatal stabbings within such a short time frame had sent 'shock waves' through the community.

He said South Yorkshire Police was considering making greater use of stop and search powers in the wake of the recent spate of stabbings.

"We're looking at policies and powers we may use around stop and search," he said.

Police said the teenager's family have been informed

"We really need to consider proportionality and necessity. That's something we will be discussing this afternoon."

He added that should additional powers be introduced, they would be limited to specific areas rather than rolled out city wide.

South Yorkshire Police stopped and searched people 1,038 times during the six months between October 2017 and March this year, with someone arrested or summonsed to court on 189 occasions.

Police are visiting schools in the area, asking any young people who know anything to come forward

The number of searches dropped slightly from October to March, but the proportion resulting in further police action increased significantly.

Mr Barton said officers had already spoken to more than 20,000 young people at schools in Sheffield and across South Yorkshire about the dangers of knives and guns.

He added: "We need to filter that message through to parents and loved ones of these young people so they can take some responsibility.

"These aren't just police problems, they're societal problems, and we need everyone's help with this."

Emergency services were called at 7.50pm last night to Lowedges Road, near the junction with Chesterfield Road South. The teenager, who has yet to be formally identified, was taken to Northern General Hospital, where he died an hour later.

Police have appealed for any witnesses or anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage to get in touch.

* Anyone with information is asked to call South Yorkshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting incident number 829 of May 24.