Skip to main content
‘Warm words won’t stop youth violence,’ Diane Abbott warns

DIANE ABBOTT warned her government counterpart yesterday  that “warm words” won’t stop the wave of youth violence on England’s streets.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday that the explosion in knife crime and violent assaults was comparable to “an outbreak of some virulent disease.”

Mr Javid promised that government departments will offer co-ordinated policies to eradicate knife crime and its causes, and said that the government will adopt a “public health approach” to solving the problem.

Knife crime in England and Wales has been rising since 2014, but last year showed a record number of offences involving knives.

Throughout the year, there were 39,818 offences involving a knife or a similar weapon, and there were 285 knife-related killings in 2017-18.

However, shadow home secretary Ms Abbott said: “The Tories have overseen nearly a decade of the most savage cuts to policing, education, mental health and youth services, and remain in denial about how their reckless austerity policies have led to this crisis.

“The Home Secretary can say ‘public health approach’ in as many speeches as he likes.

“But until his government actually implements a fully resourced, genuine, cross-departmental public health strategy, this is just hot air, and nothing will change.”

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
Britain / 27 February 2020
27 February 2020
Britain / 27 February 2020
27 February 2020
Britain / 26 February 2020
26 February 2020
Similar stories
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer delivers a statement at 10 D
Britain / 21 January 2025
21 January 2025
Helen Ajayi in Knife on the Table
Theatre review / 16 October 2024
16 October 2024
PETER MASON applauds a new drama that looks at knife crime through the lens of a group of young south Londoners