First victim of attacks against Tamils

Kishokumar Balachandiran was a victim of both of the trends police believe lie behind the soaring murder rate - knife deaths and crime within London's newest communities.

The 23-year-old Sri Lankan-born Tamil died in June, five days after he was stabbed and slashed outside a restaurant in Wembley. A sword, an axe and a bottle were used in the attack.

It was the first of nine murders that rocked the Tamil community.

An hour later, Partheepan Balasignham, 18, was attacked in Ilford and later died in hospital.

Both crimes allegedly involved other Sri Lankan men - and were followed quickly by seven further murders.

Fearing the feuding could spiral out of control, detectives held crisis talks with Tamil leaders in an attempt to build a relationship with a community that only appeared in London in large numbers within the past six years.

The operation has largely succeeded, with only one murder taking place recently, prompting Commander Baker to comment: "We and the community have put our foot back on the pedal in the wake of the latest murder."