May and Javid clash over knife crime as arrests are made

We are removing obstacles to stop and search, and raising police funding to record levels

SAJID JAVID clashed with Theresa May yesterday as he demanded emergency funding to combat knife crime.

In what was described as a “testy” exchange with the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary argued that resourcing, including an extra £1 billion announced months ago, did “not go far enough”.

Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, appeared to rebuke Mr Javid, suggesting the police prioritise the resources they had and focus on new cases rather than historic investigations. But the Home Secretary proposed to expand stop-and-search powers, following a deadly weekend in which two 17-yearolds were stabbed to death in London and Manchester.

Mr Javid is expected to announce his plans within days in response to police pleas for emergency Section 60 powers nationwide, allowing them to search suspects without specific grounds.

In today’s Daily Telegraph, Mr Javid writes: “It’s vital we give the police the powers they need to take weapons off our streets.” He said he had put his suggestions in a letter to Mrs May, who was said to have been “defensive”.

Mrs May curtailed the use of stopand-search when she was home secretary amid concerns it discriminated against black and ethnic minorities.

Yesterday, Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said that recent operations, including stop-andsearch, had helped reduce knife injuries among under-25s by 15 per cent, and contradicted Mrs May’s assertion that there “was no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers” by saying there was “obviously” a link between fewer officers and teenage knife deaths.

Last night Greater Manchester Police confirmed that a teenage boy had been charged with the murder of Yousef Makki and possession of a bladed article. Another 17-year-old boy was charged with assisting an offender and possession of a bladed article.

The Metropolitan Police have also arrested a man in Leicester in connection with the murder of Jodie Chesney in a park in East London.

This weekend another two teenagers were brutally stabbed to death on the streets of the UK. Yousef Makki and Jodie Chesney are the latest victims in a cycle of senseless bloodshed that is robbing young people of their lives and futures up and down the UK. What’s clear is that one fatal stabbing is one too many. It cannot and must not go on.

I fully understand people’s fears and concerns. Among proposed solutions have been calls to treat the rising levels of crime as a national emergency. But I want to assure people that I have been treating this as an absolute priority since taking the job as Home Secretary.

I will not hide away from this critical issue and have been doing everything in my power to ensure we have the strongest possible response in place. But the recent horrific stabbings in Birmingham, Manchester and London are a stark reminder that there is so much more to do.

We all wish there was one single solution to stem the rising levels of serious violence – but I need to be honest. There isn’t. That’s why we are taking coordinated action on multiple fronts – bringing together different parts of government, law enforcement and the public and private sectors.

First and foremost, it’s vital we give the police the powers they need to fight this outbreak and take dangerous weapons off our streets.

Our Offensive Weapons Bill will make it harder for young people to purchase knives and will introduce new powers, including Knife Crime Prevention Orders, to intervene when we suspect young people are at risk of carrying a blade. I’ve also been clear that officers should be confident using existing powers such as stop and search. When used effectively, stop and search is a vital tool and I am working with the police to reduce bureaucracy and ensure they can use it in the most efficient way.

I’ve also listened to police leaders who tell me they want to bolster the number of officers in their ranks. That is why I’m raising police funding to record levels next year – up to £970 million more, including council tax. Due to this increase, Police and Crime Commissioners have already set out plans to recruit around 2,700 more officers.

I will continue to listen to those fighting serious violence on the front line – and anyone else who has suggestions about how we can improve the response to this scourge.

Today I’ll be chairing a meeting with senior police leaders from areas experiencing high levels of serious violence to discuss our response.

I will be setting out the action the Government is taking and will discuss the short-term tactics being deployed to make our streets safer. It will also be an opportunity to share best practice.

But this is not just a law enforcement issue. It’s also vital that we steer young people away from a life of crime in the first place. Early intervention is a key focus of our Serious Violence Strategy and we’re investing more than £220 million on local projects to ensure vulnerable children are given the support they need.

Serious violence is a disease, spreading through our communities, infecting our young people, taking and blighting lives. That’s why I’ve announced my intention to make it a legal duty of every public body to prioritise serious violence. I will be consulting on making it a legal duty very shortly.

Added to this I have announced an independent review into drugs misuse – one of the main drivers in the spread of violent crime – and we are taking tough action in the battle against the county lines drug trade.

What’s clear is that this is an issue that transcends party lines and needs coordinated action. That is why I established a cross-party serious violence taskforce that has been meeting regularly for the past 11 months to ensure we are doing all we can across government and the public and private sector to clamp down on this senseless violence.

There is no doubt that this is an issue that requires national leadership – and I am confident we are taking the right action. But I will always listen to others to hear their suggestions about how we can improve our response. If there was ever an issue to unite our efforts and inspire us to stand together, then surely this is it.