Recently, I held a Westminster Hall Debate in Parliament on Stop and Search, a vital tool that can be used to help tackle knife crime. I’m aware of the horrific and devastating impact of knife crime in the West Midlands where it recorded the highest rate of knife crime offences in England and Wales for the whole of 2023. In-fact, the impact of knife crime in the region surpasses that of London, under the terrible leadership of Sadiq Khan. In 2023, offences involving a blade per 100,000 of the population totalled 180, up from 167 in 2022. The London Metropolitan Police force was 165.
It is clear to me that stop and search undoubtedly saves lives. It has received strong support amongst police chiefs and academic studies, including research from the Oxford Journal of Policing which found that stop and search can cut the number of attempted murders by 50 per cent or more.
During the debate, I paid tribute to some of the work undertaken by the previous Conservative Government. We achieved our manifesto commitment to reach 20,000 new police officers and funded 20 initiatives known as Violence Reduction Units in areas across England and Wales most affected by serious violence. These reached over 271,000 people in their fourth year alone and in combination with additional visible policing patrols, prevented an estimated 3,200 hospital emissions for violent injury.
With the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill in the House last week, I took the opportunity to urge the Home Secretary to ensure the police have the necessary powers stop and search suspects. I agree with the Shadow Home Secretary’s suggestion that the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 should be amended to help make stop and search easier. Given the Conservatives put aside a £4million boost to fight knife crime, with £3.5million into R&D for new technologies which can detect knives carried from a distance, it is now a question of when these new technologies will be available.
The current level of knife crime in the West Midlands is unacceptable and something must be done to see it reduced. We have seen time and time again the tragic and deadly consequences these crimes have, destroying the lives of not only those involved in the crime, but the friends and family around them.
This comes at a time where we are seeing vital policing resources such as Solihull Police Station earmarked for closure. I will continue to pressure Simon Foster, our Police and Crime Commissioner, over the actions he is taking to tackle this most serious of issues and to provide some clarity over the future of this critical community resource. It is vital that my constituents feel they have access to their local policing team and to that end I am asking Mr Foster to provide further clarity over front desk services at Chelmsley Wood Police Station.
Cutting crime is one of my top priorities in Meriden and Solihull East and I am pleased to have been able to put on record some of the steps I would like to see taken to keep my constituents safe.
