Responding to new figures revealing that knife crime in England and Wales is at its highest level in a decade, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “Far too many lives – especially young lives – are being destroyed by the scourge of knife crime. It is heart-breaking.
“The Conservatives’ approach to knife crime has clearly failed. They have made reoffending worse by unnecessarily criminalising thousands of young people and locking them up on pointless short term sentences. And their surge in suspicion-less Stop and Search has undermined trust in the police.
“The Conservatives must stop these counterproductive policies. Instead of trying to seem tough on crime, they must focus on the things that actually make our communities safer.
“That’s why Liberal Democrats are calling for more community policing, more youth services and a proper public health approach to serious violence.”