Knife crime surge and cuts in youth services directly linked say MPs

THE knife crime epidemic has been directly fuelled by drastic cuts in youth services, according to MPs’ research published today.

It found that police forces covering areas with the biggest youth services cuts – such as West Midlands, the Metropolitan, Cambridgeshire and thames Valley – have also seen some of the highest increases in knife offences. Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that Wolverhampton and Westminster were the worst hit in England, with youth services slashed by 91 per cent over three years in both areas.

Cambridgeshire county council and Wokingham borough council also made cuts of 88 per cent and 81 per cent respectively between 2014/15 and 2017/18, according to the figures obtained by the all-party parliamentary group on knife crime.

Separate police data shows that knife crime soared in those areas. Since 2014 there has been an 87 per cent increase in knife crime offences for West Midlands Police, a 95 per cent increase for Cambridgeshire Police, and in thames Valley there was a 99 per cent increase over the three years. the Met also saw knife offences leap by 47 per cent between 2014 and 2018. the number of youth centres supported by local authorities have halved since 2011 and there has been a 42 per cent drop in youth service staff.

Knife crime reached a record level last year in England and Wales with 40,829 offences involving knives or sharp objects recorded by police.

Labour MP Sarah Jones, chairman of the parliamentary group, said: ‘We cannot hope to turn around the knife crime epidemic if we don’t invest in our young people... they need more positive activities, safe spaces to spend time with friends and programmes to help them grow and develop.

‘Our figures show how in areas where support for young

‘Child safety must be priority’

people has been cut most, they are more at risk of violence. Youth services cannot be a “nice [thing] to have”. Our children’s safety must be our number one priority.’

A Government spokesman said: ‘We are determined to tackle the root causes to end this cycle of violence. there are a range of factors driving increases in this complex crime, including changes to the drugs market.’

A boy of 18 was chased and stabbed to death on the anniversary of the fatal shooting of a friend in south London. Junior McCauley was knifed by a hooded man in Southwark at 9.30pm on Sunday. he was reportedly on his way to meet friends paying tribute to Rhyhiem Barton, 17, who was killed in Kennington last May.