Man dies after being found on fire in east London park, probe launched

The police have launched a probe after a man was found on fire at a park in east London on Thursday. The police are yet to find the deceased man's identity and what transpired before his horrific death.

The police was informed of the incident by the London Fire Brigade in the East Ham area in the middle of the night. They had received reports about an injured man in the park.

The officers, paramedics and other officials immediately rushed to the spot but were unable to save the man who was pronounced dead at the scene. The authorities have said that his death is currently being treated as unexplained, per a report in The Independent.

A spokesperson for Newham Council said: "Central Park, East Ham is closed until further notice due to a Police incident. Newham Council officers are liaising with the Metropolitan Police."

The incident comes days after a man was stabbed in the middle of a North London high street at lunchtime. The man somehow survived the attack and is being treated at a hospital in the city. No arrests have been made in any of the cases so far.

In a similar incident reported from northwest London, a man was stabbed to death on Wednesday in Brent. The paramedics at the scene did try to save the person but he could not be saved. A crime scene remains in place and several roads are still closed to traffic.

The crime rate in London was 83.3 offences per thousand people between April 2020 and March 2021. "The recent rise in crime in London has happened alongside a decline in both personnel and funding for the London Metropolitan Police," according to a report by Statista. It added that there were 3.2 thousand fewer police officers in London in 2020 when compared to the data from year 2010.

Recently, the police arrested nearly 800 people in a crackdown against violent crime in London. They also managed to seize 280 knives from the arrested individuals. The arrests were carried out over a period of one week in May wherein police officers targeted transport hubs.