AN MP has warned that police officers are best placed to decide who they should stop and search, not government.

Shipley MP Philip Davies urged Government to stay out of police matters after Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe said knife crime had risen across London since the scaling back of stop and search.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Davies said: "Can the minister guarantee he will leave police officers to make judgements on who are the right people to stop and search and not allow crime to rise on the altar of political correctness."

Last year tougher thresholds were introduced to stop and search, meaning officers could use the powers much less frequently.

Home Office Minister Mike Penning ignored Mr Davies’ call, instead pointing to a toughening up of sentencing on knife crime.

Mr Penning said legislation, introduced by a Tory backbencher, will allow mandatory prison sentences for those convicted of carrying a knife for the second time.

He added: "In two weeks police will have powers and we hope to see prosecutions in three to four months. That is the police’s decision but they now have the powers."