Tories’ broken promise on jail for knife thugs putting public at risk says Burgon

Despite promising a mandatory ‘two strikes and you’re out’ minimum six-month prison sentence for carrying a knife, new figures from Ministry of Justice reveal that more than 2,000 people with one or more convictions for knife possession escaped an automatic prison sentence.

In response, Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon, said:

“The Tories are letting down the victims of crime by making promises they know they cannot keep.

“Knife crime is on the rise and the public want to be confident that people carrying knives face tough sentences.

“Ministers promised ‘two-strikes-and-you’re-out’ for knife possession, but a third of adult repeat offenders are still not being sent to prison.

“Rather than warm words and empty promises, the Tories need to make sure those who carry these weapons are properly punished.”

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

• However, the latest sentencing statistics reveal that 2,006 people who had a previous conviction for knife possession received a disposal other than immediate custody in the year ending December 2016 (Ministry of Justice, Knife possession sentencing quarterly brief: October to December 2016, March 9^th 2017, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-possession-sentencing-quarterly-brief-october-to-december-2016)

• New draft sentencing guidance has been published promising a mandatory minimum sentence for three knife possession offences. But there are concerns that the Government has not provided adequate resources to allow this to happen in practise, and just this week the Justice Select Committee asked the Ministry of Justice to clarify how any increase in the prison population would be accommodated (Justice Committee, Draft Sentencing Guidelines on bladed articles and offensive weapons., March 6^th 2017, https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmjust/1028/102802.htm)

• All this comes as the police recorded an 11% increase in all offences involving a knife or sharp instrument compared with the previous year. This included a 14% increase in “attempted murder” and a 35% increase in “threats to kill” involving a knife or sharp instrument.  The majority of police forces (35 of the 44) recorded a rise in offences involving knives and sharp instruments compared with the previous year (ONS, Crime in England and Wales: year ending Sept 2016, January 19^th 2017, https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingsept2016)

• In 2016, announcing a ‘voluntary agreement’ with retailers on knife sales, Theresa May claimed: “Knife crime has a devastating impact on victims, families and communities, and I am determined to do all I can to prevent it” (Home Office press release, March 23rd 2016 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sale-of-knives-voluntary-agreement-by-retailers/sale-of-knives-voluntary-agreement-by-retailers).

• However, the Government conceded that it has “made no assessment of the effect of non-custodial sentences on the rate of reoffending for those convicted of knife crime” (Hansard, Written question 31831, March 21^st 2016 -http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-03-21/31831/).