Senior Labour politicians including Police & Crime
Commissioners across the country have written to the Prime
Minister about the recent outbreak of serious youth violence.
The Mayor of London , Shadow Policing Minister
MP, West Midlands Police &
Crime Commissioner and the Deputy Mayor for
Policing in Greater Manchester, Beverley Hughes, have jointly
signed the letter.
The letter urges the Prime Minister to urgently convene the Cobra
Committee, to put 10,000 Police officers back on our streets and
to begin rebuilding Sure Start and Youth Services which have been
cut.
Ends
Notes to editors
Prime Minister,
There is not a town or city across the UK, which hasn’t been
touched by the outbreak of serious youth violence. Nationwide
there has been a 93% rise in children under 16 being stabbed
since 2013, over 1,000 teenagers entered A&E with stab wounds
last year. Knife crime is at the highest level since records
began.
This is a national crisis, and it requires leadership from the
top of government.
It was therefore remarkable to hear you claim again on Monday
that “there is no direct correlation between certain crimes and
police numbers”. Regrettably, this shows that you are in complete
denial and senior officers across the country have said so.
The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police said yesterday that
‘everybody would see’ there was some link between violence and
police numbers. The Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council,
Sara Thornton said: "I am utterly convinced that intelligence-led
policing with a focus on prolific offenders and hot-spot
locations makes a real difference. But fewer officers and staff
are able to do less policing.”
Research from the Home Office concluded police cuts “likely
contributed” to the rise in violent crime.
This crisis requires you to drop this dangerous delusion on
police cuts and show leadership on this issue. That’s why our
country urgently needs to see decisive action on a number of key
issues:
Convene the COBRA committee: The absence
of Government leadership has had a corrosive effect and put lives
at risk. You must urgently lead a cross-government effort,
involving all relevant agencies & police chiefs nationwide to
keep our children safe.
Put 10,000 officers back on our
streets: We believe the current crisis is an
emergency long in the making & it requires decisive action to
urgently recruit 10,000 officers to put the police back on the
front foot in the fight against serious violence. Prime Minister,
if your government can find the money to win a vote in the House
of Commons, you can find the money to keep our children safe.
Rebuild Sure Start & youth
services: Rebuild Sure Start ending the
devastating cuts which have undermined early intervention
and provide a Statutory Youth Service with ring-fenced funding
and support for all our young people, underpinned by a public
health approach to fighting violence.
This is a national crisis and nothing less than focussed
leadership from the very top will solve it.
Yours sincerely,
MP, Shadow Policing Minister
, Mayor of London
, West Midlands Police &
Crime Commissioner
Beverley Hughes, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Greater Manchester
, Shadow Early Years
Minister
PCC, Humberside
PCC, West Yorkshire
Willy Bach PCC, Leicestershire
PCC, Cleveland
PCC, South Wales Police
PCC, Derbyshire
PCC, Lancashire
