Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle knife crime in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

Tackling knife crime is a priority and the Government is determined to crack down on the scourge of violence devastating our communities.

As a result of the Government’s Police Uplift Programme (PUP) the Metropolitan Police Service now has over 35,000 officers (35,411), the highest number on record.

On 31 January, the Government confirmed a total police funding settlement of up to £17.2 billion in 2023/24, an increase of up to £313.8 million when compared to 2022/23. The Metropolitan Police’s funding will be up to £3.3 billion in 2023/24, an increase of up to £102.3 million when compared to 2022/23.

Since 2019, we have provided over £43 million to develop and run the London Violence Reduction Unit, which covers Havering, including Romford. Violence Reduction Units deter people, particularly young people, from becoming involved in serious violence by bringing together partners from health, probation, policing, housing and beyond and investing in the best evidence-based interventions.

Since 2019 we have provided the Metropolitan Police, who serve Havering, with over £61 million to deliver targeted enforcement action to tackle serious violence. The Grip programme suppresses and prevents serious violence by using data to identify the top violence hotspots and targets visible police activity in those areas.

We recently consulted on new legislative proposals to tackle knife crime and as a result, in the Criminal Justice Bill, we have introduced provisions to provide more powers for police to seize knives held in private that could be used in crimes, increase the maximum penalty for the offences of selling prohibited weapons and selling knives to under 18s. When Parliamentary time allows, the Government intends to introduce a new ban on zombie-style machetes and knives that have no practical use.

Finally, we are also providing £200 million over 10 years for the Youth Endowment Fund, to test and evaluate what works to ensure those young people most at risk are given the opportunity to turn away from violence. This includes a variety of projects across London.