(Leyton and Wanstead)
(Lab): It has been many weeks since the Prime Minister’s
knife crime summit and in the meantime the wave of violence and
knife crime continues to sweep London and other parts of Britain.
Last night there was a double stabbing in my constituency, close
to my office. When will the Home Secretary come to the Chamber,
report on the summit and outline his plans?
: I am sorry to hear
about the latest stabbings in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency
and I know he has raised this issue in the Chamber on a number of
occasions. He will be aware that the Government take this issue
incredibly seriously. We have announced up to £970 million extra
investment in the policing system for next year, as well as in
the spring statement £100 million of immediate funding to enable
Police and Crime Commissioners to put further police officers on
the streets to try to tackle the immediate problems. However,
this is a much bigger issue than that. Our Offensive Weapons Bill
has brought forward the means to restrict the sale of knives
online and the introduction of knife crime prevention orders, and
our £200 million youth endowment fund seeks to get young people
away from being tempted into a life of knife crime and serious
violence.
(Oldham West and Royton)
(Lab/Co-op): Can I say to the Government that there is a
crime crisis in this country? In Greater Manchester, it is
evident to every single person who lives in our community. Every
single day, 600 crimes in Greater Manchester are not even
investigated because the police do not, after a cut of £183
million a year, have the resources to deal with them. We are now
at the stage where local communities are actively pursuing
setting up private security companies to police our communities.
How can that be right and fair, and what does it do for the
future of policing in this country?
: The hon. Gentleman
raises an incredibly important point. It is absolutely right that
we do everything we can to ensure we keep our communities safe.
That is why the Government have provided an extra £970 million of
investment in the policing system next year. It is the case that
the Opposition voted against that. They need to answer the
question as to why they did that. It is vital that Police and
Crime Commissioners have the resources they need to deal not only
with the problems of serious violence and knife crime, but the
rising levels of cyber-crime, drug-related crime and so on. That
is why the Government have prioritised extra resources for the
police system.
