Knife crime and violence on our streets is unacceptable. Law-abiding citizens should be free to go about their business without fear of attack. Violent crime is down across our area compared to when I took up office. I will reduce violence further by using diversionary measures, boosting enforcement and lobbying for effective national interventions.
I will:
- Provide the robust political support to officers to deploy stop and search and other tactics on the streets to crack down on the carrying and use of knives.
- Continue to support the trail blazing and highly effective Violence Reduction Network which carries out effective and imaginative work to divert perpetrators away from violence and is recognised as a national leader in this field.
- Ensure that the Leicestershire Police works with the Crown Prosecution Service and others in the criminal justice system so that files taken to court are in an agreed format reducing needless delay.
- Tackle county line and drug gangs. The trade in illegal drugs fuels knife crime by dealers and a large amount of theft, burglary and robbery by addicts desperate to feed their habit. My budget will give the police the tools that they need to destroy county lines.
- Steer youngsters away from crime. I will support the Violence Reduction Network and other schemes and programmes with a proven track record of success in steering teenagers away from crime.
- Lobby government to impose stiffer sentences for knife crime and drug dealing.
- Lobby government to streamline procedures and provide funding to clear the court case backlog to ensure victims are heard.
- Continue to fund the Victim First programme which provides emotional and practical help to women and girls and continue to make this work more effective.
- Continue to make bids to government under the Safer Streets programme to improve the safety of streets and parks.
Photo shows Rupert Matthews trialling a knife arch in Bede Park, Leicester
