During a heated debate about new government plans, Minister for Policing Chris Philp clashed with Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid.
A new plan would make zombie knives and machetes illegal in England and Wales, as well as giving police more authority to confiscate and destroy the weapons.
Susanna Reid of Good Morning Britain grabbed the chance to question Mr Philp about police officer recruitment targets. While the actual numbers would be announced on April 26 with an announcement scheduled for that day, Mr Philp stated that he is “confident” there are “record numbers of police.”
Susanna replied: “Between 2010 and 2017, under your government, police numbers went down by more than 20,000. Now you’ve just told me and our audience that in 2010 they were 145,000. In 2017, under your government, they went down to 121,929.
“So quick maths, 23, 24,000 lost under your government, 24,000 police officers taken off the streets? I mean it’s no surprise, is it, that knife crime went on the rise.”
You can watch it in full below:
Criminals who buy or sell machetes and zombie knives could face up to two years in jail under the latest proposals.
Police would also be given more powers to seize and destroy the weapons while criminals would face tougher sentences for their sale and possession, if the plans come into force.
It follows a string of similar announcements by a succession of home secretaries in recent years.
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Mr Philp said: “Knife crime causes misery and fear in our communities which is why, over many years, this Government has taken concerted action to tackle it.”
You may also like: Starmer demands Sunak ‘comes clean’ and publishes financial interests