Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, will visit MK today (Wednesday) to discuss solutions to the city’s shocking knife crime statistics.
Knife crimes in the Thames Valley force area have more than tripled since 2015, and MK saw four fatal stabbings in just 13 weeks last year.
Meanwhile, Labour claims that the number of police community support officers in the South East has decreased by 43% since 2010.
Ms Cooper will attend a meeting at the Hazard Alley Safety Centre with MK Labour parliamentary candidates Emily Darlington and Chris Curtis to discuss the surge with police, businesses, and campaigners.
“Knife crime is absolutely devastating for communities… young people are too frequently persuaded to participate in gang violence by dangerous criminal gangs,” she said.
However, the Conservatives have no strategy to address this serious issue. Communities have suffered for far too long as they have stood by and shrugged their shoulders.
According to statistics, there were 372 knife crimes in the Thames Valley force in 2015, which increased to 1,201 last year – a more than 200% increase.
Knife crime has increased by 81% in the South East region since 2015.
