Federation warns home secretary about rising knife crime

County force has lost 500 officers

LEICESTERSHIRE Police Federation has warned Home Secretary Sajid Javid he has a lot on his plate, with the rise in knife crime among the most pressing issues.

Mr Javid recently replaced Amber Rudd in the senior Government role, which oversees areas such as policing and counter-terrorism.

The county’s force has lost more than 500 officers as a result of budget cuts during eight years of the Government’s austerity programme and crime levels, including offences involving knives, have risen in the past year.

Leicestershire Police Federation chairman Tiff Lynch said: “Of course, we welcome the fact the Prime Minister acted quickly to fill the post of Home Secretary, one of the most important jobs in Gov- ernment. We wish Mr Javid every success in this new role.

“However, he is going to have to quickly get to grips with everything now in his remit.

“His first priority is going to be to act on the Windrush scandal that ultimately led to the demise of his predecessor but he has a number of other pressing issues that he must tackle with some urgency too including a new post-Brexit immigration system and the fight against terrorism.

“Then there is the growing scourge of knife crime and the ongoing concerns about the effect Government cuts are having on the police service, both in terms of how we can protect our communities and how we can look after the health, safety and wellbeing of police officers.”