Calls made for more police officers to tackle knife crime

The calls came after Home Secretary Sajid Javid held a special meeting yesterday of senior police officers and experts after a spate of knife deaths across the country.

West Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Brian Booth said more officers were needed to tackle violent crime.

READ MORE: Knife crime figures

He said: “We need to get back the 800 police officers we have lost in West Yorkshire”

Mr Booth said Prime Minister Theresa May was still failing to recognise the link between police numbers and rising crime. “The credibility of our Government is seriously undermined with her ridiculous statements,” he said.

“The service has lost its capability to use preventative powers against crime, due purely to the lack of resources. We are reacting to these horrific incidents on a daily basis. Could any of these crimes have been prevented? The simple answer is yes, with proper funding of the Police Service which would enable more officers on our streets.

“I wholly agree with Sir Bernard Hogan Howe, we need to get back the 20,000 officers we have lost Nationwide due to austerity.

“The Government have been repeated warned that the Police Service have reached the cliff face. This has been ignored and now we find that children are being murdered on the streets of the UK. It’s just a matter of time before it comes to the streets of West Yorkshire.

“We need proper investment in policing and we need it now.”

Batley and Spen MP Tracy Brabin said: “Here in West Yorkshire knife crime is above the national average and violent crime more generally has risen by a jaw-dropping 227% in just five years - the largest rise in the country.

“And it goes beyond violent crime. Across my Batley and Spen constituency we’re also seeing a rise in burglaries, anti-social behaviour and nuisance bikes, with people telling me they no longer feel safe in their own communities.

“The Prime Minister simply has to accept that there is a direct correlation between the lost 1,100 police officers and 152 PCSOs here in West Yorkshire since 2010 and the rise in crime.

“But it’s not just about police numbers - since 2010 our communities have had more and more taken from them. Sure Start and children’s services are a great passion of mine, and if we want to build friendly, respectful communities, we need to start with the child.”

Back in June, the T&A reported officers recorded 1,073 knife crimes and 310 gun crimes in Bradford over the previous two years.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show West Yorkshire Police dealt with at least 26 incidents of knife crime a month between April 2016 and March 2018.

Among the recent incidents of knife crime the T&A has reported on in Bradford are a knife-wielding raider who targeted Rems Newsagents in Highgate Road, Clayton Heights, in January 2018 and an armed robbery at J&M Off Licence in Cleckheaton Road, Low Moor, last December in which a 12in knife was brandished.

John Robins, Temporary Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, was among those who took part in the summit at the Home Office.

The Home Secretary acknowledged that police resources are important in tackling knife violence and that ministers must listen to forces.

The number of officers in the 43 territorial forces in England and Wales has fallen by more than 20,000 since 2009.

Mrs May, who was home secretary from 2010 to 2016, argued earlier this week that there was “no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers”.

But a string of senior figures in policing have lined up to dispute her assertion.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Javid said: “I think police resources are very important to deal with this. We’ve got to do everything we can.

“I’m absolutely committed to working with the police in doing this. We have to listen to them when they talk about resources.”

The Home Secretary also said it was important for the Government to give police “more confidence” over the use of stop-and-search powers.

Mrs May introduced reforms in 2014 to ensure stop and search was used in a more targeted way, following criticism that the tactics unfairly focused on black and minority ethnic individuals.

Mrs May, who is to host a summit on knife crime, said the Government is putting more resources into policing. A proposed cash boost could see total police funding rise by nearly £1 billion in 2019/20, including money raised by council tax.

Later this week, police chiefs will present ministers with details of the resources they need for a “surge” in capacity to combat the rise in violent crime.

Ahead of the meeting with Mr Javid, National Police Chiefs’ Council chairwoman Sara Thornton called for “emergency funding”. She told the BBC: “Look at the facts, there are fewer police officers doing less policing and there’s more crime.”