Tough new action to combat knife crime has been welcomed by Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan.
Mr Morgan made the comments at his latest Cuppa and Chat event in Portsmouth attended by local people and the police.
The Government’s flagship Crime and Policing Bill fulfils multiple Labour manifesto commitments.
The Bill will give the police new powers to seize, retain and destroy knives held in private, applicable when the police believe the knife will be used in a violent crime.
It also includes strong new rules to prevent online knife sales, including personal liability for senior managers of online platforms who fail to act on illegal content including knives and offensive weapons.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will also introduce a new offence of possession of an offensive weapon with intent to use unlawful violence. It also increases the maximum penalty for offences relating to the sale of offensive weapons. The Bill will also strengthen age verification requirements for online sale of bladed products.
The law will be named after 16-year old Ronan Kanda, stabbed to death in Wolverhampton by a boy who had used his mother’s ID to purchase a 22-inch sword online. Making Britain’s streets safe is a major plank of this Labour Government’s Plan for Change, and the Government has pledged to half knife crime in a decade.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“I was pleased to discuss with local people the government’s ambitious mission to halve knife crime over the next decade.
“I wholeheartedly welcome this tough new action to crack down on knife crime and protect communities like mine in Portsmouth.
“This Government is committed to making our city’s streets safe again, as part of Labour’s Plan for Change. I know Portsmouth people stand fully behind these efforts.”
Mr Morgan has made making Portsmouth streets safer one of his top priorities, meeting with local police regularly to discuss what can be done to reduce crime and make local people feel safe.
