Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to help ensure the effective prosecution of cases involving use of offensive weapons in Slough.

This Government’s priority is to keep our streets safe, that is why we have committed to halve knife crime in a decade as part of our Safer Streets Mission.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecuted over 1,000 knife crime offences in 2023-24 in conjunction with Thames Valley Police.

Working closely with police in Thames Valley, the CPS recently completed a two-year pilot of Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs). SVROs, which can be applied for by the CPS, provide police with the power to search a person subject to an order for bladed articles or offensive weapons in a public space. An evaluation report about the pilot is due in summer 2025, ahead of a decision by the Government to roll the powers out nationally.