Smith to unveil new knife crime initiatives

New measures aimed at tackling knife crime due to be unveiled by government

Sunday, 13, Jul 2008 12:00

Jacqui Smith is due to unveil new shock measures aimed at tackling knife crime.

The home secretary will provide details of new enforcement measures, improvements to sentencing and a new approach to youth crime prevention.

The move comes after a spate of stabbings during the last week, with four men being murdered in London last Thursday, while a man in his 30s was stabbed at a Bolton pub in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Twenty teenagers have been murdered in the capital this year already, compared to 27 in the whole of 2007.

Among the new government tactics to be unveiled are forcing people caught carrying knives to visit stab wound patients on emergency wards and meet families of knife crime victims.

The nationwide trials will initially begin in key metropolitan areas including London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

"I am absolutely shocked at the tragic and senseless loss of life we have seen recently," Ms Smith said.

"I want to reassure everyone that the government is taking the issue of knife crime very seriously.

"I am particularly concerned about the young age of offenders and victims - that is why I am again emphasising what action we have taken and what new action we are demanding."

Part of the new plans is the first-ever cross-government youth crime blueprint, which Ms Smith will unveil on Tuesday.

On Friday, responding to the spate of knife deaths, Gordon Brown said the government was committed to educating offenders.

"We will continue to make absolutely clear that carrying a knife is unacceptable in our society," the prime minister said.

"People prosecuted for carrying a knife are now almost three times as likely to go to prison as in 1997.

"Those prosecuted for carrying or using knives get far tougher sentences."

During the last month the government has already announced an end to cautions for people caught carrying a knife and pledged to provide more resources and equipment for police forces in key areas to carry out more stop and searches.

And two months ago it released a new viral campaign of hard-hitting knife wound images designed at discouraging young people from carrying knives.