This isn’t the first time the Tories have played fast and loose with the victims of knife crime - Burgon

Wednesday, 8 March 2017 00:01

Richard Burgon MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, commenting on a Justice Select Committee report into sentencing for knife offences: “Knife crime continues to blight society and it is right that those carrying knives face prison sentences. “Ministers pledged tougher action on sentencing, but they are failing to provide adequate resources to make this a reality. “This isn’t the first time the Tories have played fast...Request free trial

Richard Burgon MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, commenting on a Justice Select Committee report into sentencing for knife offences:

“Knife crime continues to blight society and it is right that those carrying knives face prison sentences.

“Ministers pledged tougher action on sentencing, but they are failing to provide adequate resources to make this a reality.

“This isn’t the first time the Tories have played fast and loose with the victims of knife crime, having repeatedly broken their promises to introduce an automatic sentence for those caught carrying a knife.”

Ends

Notes to editor

The 2010 Conservative manifesto stated that "We will make it clear that anyone convicted of a knife crime can expect to face a prison sentence” (Conservative Party manifesto 2010, p56 - https://www.conservatives.com/~/media/files/activist%20centre/press%20and%20policy/manifestos/manifesto2010).

But the Tories broke their promise to introduce an automatic jail sentence for those caught carrying a knife, with the then Justice Secretary Ken Clarke admitting: “We're not setting out absolute tariffs for particular things” (BBC News online, December 6th 2010 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11929401).

In 2015, the Conservatives claimed to have brought in a mandatory “two strikes and you’re out’’ minimum six-month prison sentence for carrying a knife (Guardian, July 7th 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/07/two-strikes-rule-jailing-carry-knives).

But the latest sentencing statistics reveal that 2,036 people who had a previous conviction for knife possession received a disposal other than immediate custody in the year ending June 2016 (Ministry of Justice, Knife possession sentencing quarterly brief: July to September 2016, December 8^th 2016, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-possession-sentencing-quarterly-brief-july-to-september-2016)