Ipswich stabbing: Teenager called 999 for his own ambulance

Seventeen-year-old treated for single puncture wound

A view of Marlow Road. Police have erected a cordon at the entrance to this alleyway (Google Maps)

A teenager dialled 999 asking for an ambulance after being stabbed in Ipswich.

Police were called around 6.30pm on Monday by the ambulance service following reports that a 17-year-old boy had been attacked in an alleyway near a secondary school.

The victim was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for a single puncture wound which is not life-threatening or life-changing.

Five suspects – two boys, aged 16 and 17, two 18-year-old men and a 20-year-old man – were detained by officers between 7.17pm and 7.20pm, Suffolk Police said.

According to the force, all of those involved lived nearby and were taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre for questioning. They all remain in custody.

A cordon was in place at the scene overnight and five police cars were parked in the street, including a forensics van.

Detectives asked anyone with information to call 101 and quote reference number 13979/19.

The attack came hours after a 15-year-old boy was charged with the murder of Jodie Chesney, who was knifed in the back near a children’s playground in Harold Hill, Romford, on 1 March.

Her murder prompted fresh anguish about the high levels of knife crime across England and Wales as police investigate a spate of stabbings.

Police chiefs have demanded extra funds to tackle the epidemic, which has seen ten teenagers die since the beginning of the year.

Theresa May is facing mounting pressure over the issue, including from Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick, to address funding cuts after claiming there was no correlation between the rise in violent crime and falling staff levels.

Ms Dick told LBC: “I think that what we all agree on is that in the last few years police officer numbers have gone down a lot, there’s been a lot of other cuts in public services, there has been more demand for policing and therefore there must be [more resources] and I have consistently said that."