Government stepping up action against knife crime in hotspots

The government said its stepping up police patrols and the use of surveillance to help tackle knife crime in places including West and South Yorkshire.

More than 230 hotspots will see more action as additional funding is rolled out, some public spaces will be redesigned to stop weapons being hidden.

It's being funded by Home Office’s Knife Crime Concentrations Fund.

The Home Secretary is backing local plans developed by police and councils to tackle crimes, save lives and protect local communities.

Each plan will be tailored to the area. They will combine tough police enforcement activity such as enhanced police patrols, alongside programmes designed for young people most at risk of being a victim or a perpetrator of knife crime.

The government said growing evidence shows that concerted action in small, targeted areas is the most effective way of driving down knife crime.

This crackdown comes as new data shows seven forces - Metropolitan Police, West Midlands Police, Greater Manchester Police, West Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police, Avon and Somerset Police and British Transport Police - made real inroads into tackling an issue that has blighted communities across the country, identifying and arresting more people through the better sharing of data.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: 

"Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community, and no young life should be blighted by knife crime.  

"Targeted policing and prevention, focused on the areas where the need is greatest, is already cutting knife robberies by nearly a quarter. That means safer streets, and fewer lives lost. 

"I am now taking this approach to more than 230 areas across the country. This Government is getting tough on knife crime and on the causes of knife crime to make our communities safer."

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