MPs launched a wide-ranging inquiry into knife crime today, admitting that the fight against it was “not working” in the wake of a stabbing at a music awards show.

Keith Vaz, chairman of the Government’s Home Affairs Committee, said the violence during the O2 music event in London on Saturday illustrated the “urgent” need to establish better understanding of the causes of knife crime.

The committee will make recommendations to Government after examining the reasons for knife crime, availability of knives, reliability of crime date and various solutions.

Meeting in Stockwell, south London, MPs heard today from various youth workers and community organisations about some of the reasons behind, including fear and a lack of rolemodels.

One youth, 22-year-old Peter Nzekwu, of the Prince's Trust, said that some teenagers acted like “caged animals” when they left their homes.

“When you come out of your cage, anything can happen,” he said.

This year, 28 teenagers have died violently in the capital and 22 of them were with a knife or similar sharp instrument.

On Saturday night, the Urban Music Awards were cancelled after 90 minutes after violence erupted at the indigoO2, at the O2 Arena in east London.

A 21-year-old man was bailed yesterday after the stabbing, which followed a brawl that sent guests heading for the exits, bottles and furniture flying, and caused dozens of police to descend on the venue.

A 27-year-old suffered serious stab wounds and remains in an east London hospital in a serious but stable condition.

There will be a review of security after knife arches were not used at the event.

Mr Vaz said that knife crime was “clearly not being dealt with at the moment with the legitimate, appropriate political solutions”.

“We want to take it beyond a party political discussion to really gain some important facts and figures to go into the community to find the perpetrators - and also establish how this matter should be dealt with,” the former Minister for Europe said.

Kit Malthouse, the deputy mayor for policing at City Hall, told MPs that tackling knife crime was Boris Johnson’s “number one priority”.

Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrat MP, said that better behaviour needed to be cultivated in youths in primary school to counter the problem.

He said: “If you do not start teaching them at five, six, seven, I can assure you that it will not work at 13 or 14.”

David Davies, the Conservative MP, said that the fight against knife crime was not working as “things are getting worse”.

“I’m slightly concerned when we hear people saying that crime is going down, because they are ignoring the obvious.”

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