Today’s Home Office stories include reports on the latest stabbing deaths.
Fourth person is stabbed to death
A series of stabbings in London is widely covered, with the Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Sun and Metro running stories.
The coverage follows the fourth fatal stabbing in the capital in five days - a 22-year-old man killed in Anerley, south east London yesterday. It is reported that this was the 116th murder in London this year.
The Crime Minister, Victoria Atkins, was interviewed on the Today Programme where she said “the nature of crime is changing” with gangs becoming “far more ruthless” and using social media to communicate.
The Crime Minister said that the claim that the drop in police officer numbers is related to a rise in serious violence is “not supported by the evidence.”
She also defended the Law Commission review into hate crime and said it was up to elected PCCs to set local policing priorities.
Good Morning Britain carried an interview with London Mayor, Sadiq Khan. Mr Khan responded to robust questioning from Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid - citing a 16% increase in knife crime - by reiterating that he has relocated transport police into units dealing with knife crime.
Citing the example of Glasgow, Mr Khan later stated it could take “up to ten years” to properly tackle the problem of knife crime.
A Home Office spokesman said:
Knife crime has a devastating impact on individuals, families and community. To combat serious violence our strategy addresses the root causes of crime with a focus on early intervention alongside tough law enforcement.
To support this we are consulting on a new ‘public health’ approach to tackling serious violence which would see police officers, education partners, local authority and health care professionals being given a new legal duty to take action to prevent it.
We have also announced new £200million Youth Endowment Fund to provide help and support to children and young people at risk of involvement in crime and violence.
A major factor behind the recent increase in serious violence are changes in the drugs market. That’s why the Home Secretary has ordered an independent review of drug misuse, to increase our understanding of who drug users are, what they take and how often so that, armed with this evidence, we can step up the fight against drugs gangs that prey on our children.