Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to increase the use of stop and search to tackle knife crime in the West Midlands.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a central objective of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission and we are taking decisive action to achieve it.

Stop and search is an important tool for tackling knife crime. Police officers have the power to stop and search individuals or vehicles for offensive weapons, provided they have reasonable grounds to suspect they will find the item.

In addition, where serious violence has occurred, or where intelligence suggests it may occur, a senior police officer may authorise police officers to stop and search any individual or vehicle for weapons, with or without reasonable suspicion. These authorisations are limited to a particular area for a specific period of time, usually no longer than 24 hours but may be extended to up to 48 hours in certain circumstances.

The operational use of stop and search is determined by individual police forces, based on local intelligence and priorities within local communities, and it must always be conducted fairly and appropriately.

Beyond the use of stop and search, the Government is taking decisive national action on knife crime. This includes banning zombie-style knives, introducing legislation to prohibit ninja swords, tackling knife-enabled robbery and establishing new Prevention Partnerships to support those who are most at risk and divert them away from knife crime.