Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) meetings and (b) other discussions he has had with the Mayor of London on knife crime in the last 12 months.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Secretary and Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire regularly meet with the Mayor of London and Police and Crime Commissioners to discuss crime and policing matters.
Since 2019, the Home Office has provided over £43m of funding for a Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) in London which is providing a multi-agency, preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of serious violence and knife crime in London. In addition, c.£8.1m has been awarded in 2024/25 to deliver the ‘Hotspot Response’ programme and enable additional, high visibility patrols and problem-solving tactics in the areas worst affected by serious violence and ASB.
Additionally, just under £1.3m has been awarded in 2023/24 to support delivery of the Serious Violence Duty in London.
Following a surrender scheme, the manufacture, supply, sale and possession of zombie-style knives and machetes that are designed to look intimidating but have no practical purpose will be outlawed from 24 September 2024.
Additionally, through the Criminal Justice Bill, we are providing more powers for police to seize knives held in private that they believe will be used for unlawful violence, increasing the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s and creating a new offence of possessing an article with blade or point or an offensive weapon with intent to commit unlawful violence.
We are also providing £3.5 million into the research, development, and evaluation of new technologies to reduce knife crime, including knife detection technologies. The Metropolitan Police has been given £547,863 for further live facial recognition mobile units to be deployed across their 75 London hotspots.
Mentions:
1: None approach in this and previous Bills has led to changes and to some reduction in the number of IPP prisoners - Speech Link
2: None Katie was stabbed 99 times in the frenzied assault while Steve received 24 knife wounds. - Speech Link
3: None and serious violence against women must not be allowed to move from victim to victim. - Speech Link
4: Lord Roborough (Con - Excepted Hereditary) grievous bodily harm, and attempted strangulation, as well as stalking, including fear of violence. - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Florence Eshalomi (LAB - Vauxhall) She has mentioned violence reduction units. - Speech Link
2: Fleur Anderson (Lab - Putney) Violence reduction units are really important, as is learning what works from the youth workers and police - Speech Link
3: Chris Philp (Con - Croydon South) since 2010 and a reduction in hospital admissions following a knife injury in the five years that we - Speech Link
4: Chris Philp (Con - Croydon South) That is why the 20 violence reduction units up and down the country are receiving about £55 million of - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Caroline Johnson (Con - Sleaford and North Hykeham) already acted, through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, to establish the secure 16 - Speech Link
2: Seema Malhotra (LAB - Feltham and Heston) that regard, but will first make our comments on the proposed changes, which we support.We support the reduction - Speech Link
3: Mike Freer (Con - Finchley and Golders Green) The majority have committed violence-related offences and are much more likely to reoffend upon release - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: None act as a deterrent to contribute to the reduction of knife-related crimes; and further that the rehabilitation - Speech Link
2: None we can to protect communities and see that knife crime offenders are brought to justice. - Speech Link
3: None The Government are determined to tackle the underlying causes of serious violence, and we are redoubling - Speech Link
4: None The Government are taking robust action to tackle knife crime, and other measures include a ban on zombie-style - Speech Link
May. 16 2024
Source Page: Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2023Found: (For example, 11 ‘violence against the person’ only encompass es indictable violent crime, with common
May. 16 2024
Source Page: Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2023Found: reduction ordersTEWMiscellaneous crimes against societyNot known0090000900 - Not knownTEWMiscellaneous
May. 15 2024
Source Page: £4 million boost to fight knife crimeFound: £4 million boost to fight knife crime
Mentions:
1: Roger Gale (Con - North Thanet) , Crime and Victims Act 2004 (c. 28)34 An offence under section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and - Speech Link
2: None Unfortunately, we are seeing too many gaps and loopholes in efforts to tackle knife crime. - Speech Link
3: None of knife crime on the streets. - Speech Link
4: Vicky Ford (Con - Chelmsford) Essex’s police and crime commissioner has campaigned for the new knife crime laws. - Speech Link
5: Emma Lewell-Buck (Lab - South Shields) One Australian attorney general has reported a massive reduction in violence since the legislation was - Speech Link
Written Evidence May. 14 2024
Inquiry: Modern Slavery Act 2015Found: bolster support for victims of crime, including child victims of abuse, exploitation, serious violence