Knives: Bournemouth East

(asked on 23rd October 2023) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent homicides involving (a) an object with a blade and (b) a sharp instrument in Bournemouth East constituency.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 26th October 2023

The Government is determined to tackle the underlying causes of serious violence, and we are redoubling our efforts with a twin-track approach, combining tough enforcement to get dangerous weapons off the streets with programs that steer young people away from crime.

We are supporting the police every step of the way in this effort. As of 31 March 2023, over 20,000 additional officers have been recruited in England and Wales and as of 31 March 2023, Dorset Police has recruited 174 additional uplift officers against a total three-year allocation of 166 officers.

On 31 January, the Government confirmed a total police funding settlement of up to £17.2 billion in 2023/24, an increase of up to £313.8 million when compared to 2022/23. Dorset Police’s funding will be up to £166 million in 2023/24, an increase of up to £6.9 million when compared to 2022/23.

More widely, the Serious Violence Duty, introduced as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, requires a range of specified authorities, such as the police, local government, criminal justice services and health services, to work collaboratively, share data and information, and put in place plans to prevent and reduce serious violence within their local communities. Dorset have been allocated £292,301 in 2023/24 to cover costs incurred by local partners in delivering the Duty.

In addition, we keep all legislation under review in the interests of public safety. The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 includes specific measures around knives, in particular making it an offence to possess certain offensive weapons in private, and stopping knives being sent to residential addresses after they are bought online, unless the seller has arrangements in place with the delivery company to ensure that the product would not be delivered into the hands of a person under 18.

Building on this we recently consulted on new legislative proposals to tackle knife crime and published the government response on 30 August 2023. When Parliamentary time allows, the Government intends to introduce:

o A new ban on zombie-style machetes and knives that have no practical use.

o More powers for police to seize knives that could be used in crimes.

o A new offence and higher sentencing to root out the sale and possession of these dangerous weapons.

Finally, we are also providing £200 million over 10 years for the Youth Endowment Fund, to test and evaluate what works to ensure those young people most at risk are given the opportunity to turn away from violence and lead positive lives.

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