Knife crime: Theresa May under pressure over refusal to link increasing knife crime to police cuts

The Prime Minister Theresa May last night faced anger over her refusal to link knife crime to inadequate police presence on the streets, thereby forcing Senior Labour politicians to write to the PM demanding recruitment of 10,000 new police and a cash boost for youth services.

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As another young victim was stabbed to death, Home Secretary Sajid Javid even ­disagreed with her.

He said: 

“I think police resources are very important to deal with this. We’ve got to do everything we can. I’m absolutely committed to working with the police in doing this. We have to listen to them when they talk about resources.”

He spoke out after the PM claimed she was pouring money into the police forces, to cries of “No you’re not” in the Commons.

She also came under attack from victims’ families, police chiefs and four former Home Secretaries after she had insisted this week there is “no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers”, despite her slashing 21,000 officers from the streets.

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Jeremy Corbyn told her: 

“You cannot keep communities safe on the cheap by cuts and privatisation.”

Senior Labour politicians have written to Mrs May demanding the urgent recruitment of 10,000 new police and a cash boost for youth services. The letter was co-signed by 11 police and crime commissioners and Greater Manchester’s deputy mayor for policing.

Nottinghamshire’s PCC Paddy Tipping said: 

“Parents want to see action, not words.” 

The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s chair Sara Thornton said forces were crying out for more resources. 
She added: 

“It needs some emergency funding. We need to have more officer hours on the streets.

“There are fewer police officers doing less policing and there’s more crime.”

Former Met commissioner Lord Stevens said: 

“All you got from the Home Office, and the Prime Minister, was, ‘Our reforms are working’. She hasn’t listened to what’s been going on and it’s not good enough.”

Sally Holder, whose son Rob Knox was stabbed to death in London 11 years ago aged 18, added: 

“Theresa May saying police cuts are not linked, I think she’s deluded.”

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Mrs May had told the Commons: 

“It is a fact that more money is being put into the police this year, that more money is being put into the police next year.”

But of the £450million in extra funding she said had gone to police this year, just £270million was for local budgets.

The man stabbed last night was in his 20s and killed in Leyton, East London. He becomes the fourth victim in six days.

A neighbour said: 

“He was lying on the floor. There was blood everywhere. He got up and walked for a bit but then fell.

“A man dressed in black ran off. It looked like he had been stabbed in the neck. He died on the pavement.” The man had not been identified last night.

Ten teenagers have been stabbed to death in Britain so far this year.