We must get a grip on violent epidemic
Ihave treated victims of gun and knife crime in A&E. Teenage boys once so strong and full of bravado crying for their mums. Frontline staff in hospitals across the country are seeing parents holding their dying children in their arms for the last time.
To hear a mother’s scream of anguish echo down the corridor is a sound you will never forget, a moment you pray you will never experience as a parent.
But we rely on another section of our emergency services more and more to tackle the growing epidemic of violent crime: the police.
They are underpaid. Our police officers have had a real-terms pay cut in recent years, and this week it was revealed that over 10,000 have taken second jobs. We need our police to be rested and ready every day, as their job can be physically exerting. It is unacceptable that so many are forced to take up second jobs to make ends meet.
They are overworked. Police numbers are at their lowest in 30 years, losing over 20,000 under this Government. We’ve seen the highest recorded crime rise in a decade, meaning that many officers are having to give up their days off. They are overstretched. I find it infuriating that the police regularly don’t have the time to investigate burglaries and they can’t dedicate meaningful time to dealing with some serious crimes. Our police are now used as a reactive force.
It is difficult for them to find the time to focus on prevention, and tackling the causes of crime.
Don’t just listen to politicians on this. Several police chiefs have spoken out about how continual cuts are affecting them. HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary made clear in a recent report the link between fewer police officers and a rise in violent crime across the country. Cressida Dick, head of the Met, has said that cuts are putting the safety of the public at risk.
Across the country, from small to large police forces, they’re yelling, pleading, for more resources – but the Government won’t listen.
The community policing model that worked well 15 years ago has almost been decimated. When it works, the benefits are felt far and wide: reoffending is reduced, crime is easier to prevent and perpetrators are caught more quickly.
In my local area, Tooting, we have had a few incidents involving guns and knives in recent months, with multiple murders in recent years.
It is senseless violence and each is a tragic loss.
On Tuesday, I’m holding a local Violent Crime Summit, with the police, mayor’s office, council and community groups. We need this joined-up thinking in order to tackle this violent crime epidemic.
One death on our streets is one too many, which is why society must get a grip on the issue and work together to tackle it.
Police plead for more resources but Tories won’t listen We have had the hottest summer I can remember. It has been lovely in the morning but horrible and sticky at night. That hasn’t stopped British Gas announcing yet another price rise, which we’ll all pay for in winter. This is despite Theresa May promising to cap energy prices before the election last year. Don’t forget that when bills arrive in January.