Oral Answers to Questions

Afzal Khan Excerpts

Monday 26th February 2024 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Afzal Khan (Manchester, Gorton) (Lab)]

1. What steps he is taking to tackle knife crime in Greater Manchester.

[Mr Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East) (Con)]

2. What steps he is taking to tackle knife crime in Bournemouth.

[The Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire (Chris Philp)]

As we have said often in debates this House, knife crime is a terrible crime; it tears families apart and all too often takes young people from us. As the House will know, violent crime overall has reduced by 51% since 2010, but there is more we can do. That includes funding violence reduction units—Manchester’s VRU has £20 million of funding for the coming financial year—and running hotspot policing in areas where serious violence and antisocial behaviour are a problem. The £66 million of funding for that across England and Wales is in addition to the existing police funding settlement.

[Afzal Khan]

In September 2021, my constituent Rhamero West was chased across Manchester, stabbed and killed—he was just 16. His mum, Kelly, has worked tirelessly to make sure that no other families have to face the suffering she and her family have faced, including by raising money to fund a network of bleed kits across Greater Manchester and a youth project in Fallowfield. She wants to tell Rhamero’s story to help save other young lives, so will the Minister agree to meet her?

[Chris Philp]

Yes, of course. It sounds as though the hon. Gentleman’s constituent is campaigning bravely, as so many parents do, to try to bring some good out of a terrible personal tragedy, so I would be delighted to meet him and his constituent.