PATEL WANTS END TO OF FATAL STABBINGS
THE POLICE, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will be welcomed by many – but has horrified activists who fear it could crush long-held civil liberties. Amnesty International called for it to be “dropped entirely,” claiming it represented the “most signifi
back on to the streets only to start carrying knives again – that is why the police should have the right to stop and search them to ensure this.
“What’s more, we should not be waiting for known knife carriers to wield them before the police intervene. That is why we are introducing new powers so the police can proactively search those who we know have previously carried a knife.
“Our Serious Violence Reduction Orders will steer more offenders away from a life of crime, while ensuring that if they persist, they are more likely to be caught and more lives will potentially be saved – which is what stop and search is all about.”
Ms Patel added: “This new power was a promise we made to the British people at the general election and our proposals secured a majority in the House of Commons. The Lords must now vote them through and help prevent future loss of life.”
The law would allow the police or prosecutors to apply for the courts to grant an SVRO in an instance where an offender either used a knife or offensive weapon – or if they were carrying one unlawfully when committing another crime.
The Government argues stop and search is a vital power for police to prevent crime and its use saw 16,000 dangerous weapons removed from Britain’s streets last year.
Backing the Government’s proposals,
Patrick Green, CEO of the Ben Kinsella Trust – named after a victim of knife crime in London in 2008 – said: “Once someone gets into the routine of carrying a knife, it becomes a habit which can lead to them being drawn into a lifetime of criminality.
“Serious Violence Reduction Orders will enable the justice system to intervene with offenders who are finding it difficult to escape from the cycle of violence.
“It is essential that the justice system is proactive rather than reactive, before it is too late for yet another family.”
The Bill has proved hugely controversial and led to riots in Bristol in March last year.
During the unrest, around 500 descended on the city’s Bridewell police station and some officers feared they could be killed.
Protesters set fire to police vehicles outside and smashed the windows.
Chief Superintendent Carolyn Belafonte of Avon and Somerset Police said the riot was “nothing short of reprehensible”. Of those jailed, Ryan Roberts, 25, received a 14-year sentence.
He had hurled bottles and cans at police officers before smashing the windows of the police station. He later pushed burning cardboard beneath police vans.
Roberts, of no fixed address, claimed he had become “carried away” and was fighting for freedom of speech.
Concerns over Labour being soft on crime and failing to stand up to protesters could have helped fuel a rally for the Conservatives in the polls.
It comes after their support dropped last month following allegations of lockdown-busting Christmas parties in Whitehall.
The latest Opinium poll this weekend shows Labour’s lead over the Conservatives has dropped back to five points, down from seven. Labour’s vote share is at 39 per cent, unchanged from late December, while the Tories are on 34 per cent (+2).
‘This was our promise to the British people’