Theresa May has come under fire from the Police Federation after she claimed that cuts to police funding has nothing to do with the increase in knife crime.
In England there has been a 93 per cent rise in knife attacks involving young people.
Theresa May vowed to tackle the causes of knife crime by addressing the issues which led “so many young people” to weapons.
However, she said there was “no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers”.
“What matters is how we ensure that police are responding to these criminal acts when they take place, that people are brought to justice,” May said.
John Apter, national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, vehemently disagreed with the PM’s comments.
He said: “Our Prime Minister is delusional, steadfastly refusing to acknowledge what is plain for everyone else to see, and in the face of a national crisis that is deeply concerning.”
“Policing has been stripped to the bone and the consequences are clear, splashed across newspaper front pages and TV news bulletins – children being murdered on our streets.
“What makes this all the more sickening is that it was predicted. This is the true cost of austerity that we warned of but were ridiculed for doing so.”
Sajid Javid said that there was “no single solution” to tackling serious violence during an Urgent Question in the Commons yesterday. He told MPs: “We all wish there was one thing, just one thing, that we could do to stop this violence, but there are no shortcuts, there is no single solution.
“Tackling serious violence requires coordinated action on multiple fronts.”
Young people are being murdered across the county & it can’t go on. We’re taking action on many fronts & I’ll be meeting police chiefs this week to hear what more can be done. Vital we unite to stop this senseless violence
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) March 3, 2019
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/sajid-javid-forced-to-admit-tories-cut-21k-police-officers/03/02/