MP View 13th March 2019
Another big week for Brexit – perhaps the biggest week so far. Reading the Sunday press, and chatting through things with my colleagues, it rather looks as if the week will end without resolution. Again.
But instead of hypothesising about Brexit, I wanted to look at the truly horrific recent surge in knife crime. I am not aware of any increase specifically here in Wyre Forest, but there seems to be an almost daily update on yet another innocent teenager who has been murdered in what appears to be utterly pointless attacks, in our cities.
I am no expert in this area, but I read the reports and opinions of those who know better. As a parent of two teenage children (and a third soon to be a teenager), I am truly horrified by what is going on.
There are many, many comments on what is happening and, more importantly, why. Experts from across the spectrum are looking at correlations between excluded children (is a child that is excluded from school more likely to become a knife wielding criminal; or are they excluded because of their propensity to be criminals in the first place?). Is there a relationship with increasing drug crime? Is this rise in knife crime in part to do with copycat attacks? Are they related to socio-economic backgrounds? Have cuts in police numbers led to this increase?
As I say, I am no expert, but I have my own views and opinions. What is clear is that there is a whole host of reasons, not just a single cause. It is interesting that whilst there is a sharp increase, I understand we are just back to the level of knife crime we saw in 2008 and 2009, having seen a marked and unexplained dip over the last decade or so.
However, whilst the official line is that this probably has little to do with cuts to police numbers, I am not convinced. Crime has dropped over the last few years and then increased. Our police do a brilliant job in preventing crime, but it must be the case that if there are fewer police preventing crime, fewer criminal actions can be prevented.
It is important to be honest about this. Trying to win a political argument is not the same as preventing a teenager dying. If cuts to services and police are to blame, we must be honest and admit it.