Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson has responded to the government’s new proposed measures on knife crime:
“Last year I successfully campaigned to get dangerous zombie knives banned from sale. I welcome these further measures, however for them to be properly enforced the Home Secretary needs to reverse the cuts that Police forces are facing.
“West Midlands Police has lost £145 million since 2010 and despite government promises to protect police funding, is receiving £6 million less this year than last. West Midlands Police has lost nearly 2,000 officers under this government. Those officers are the ones who would actually enforce these proposed measures.
“I welcome any extra funding to support community projects tackling knife crime. The West Midlands makes up roughly a twentieth of the country’s policing effort and the government’s suggested £500,000 could make a real difference if focussed in our region alone. However across the whole country it will be a drop in the ocean. The government needs to do much more to support police forces and local communities to tackle knife crime.
“With community groups I support weapon surrender bins that help to get hundreds of weapons off the streets each year by giving people a safe place to dispose of them. In addition I fund schemes that go into schools every day of the year to warn of the dangers of carrying weapons and have established a Commission on Gangs and Violence to tackle the root causes of the issue. With additional government funding we could do much more to tackle the serious and growing issue of violent crime.”
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