Starmer Prioritizes ‘Moral Mission’ to Reduce Knife Crime while Remaining Quiet on Gangs

June 25, 2024 TruthUSA

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer met with a few individuals affected by knife crime, dedicating his day to discussing ways to reduce it.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer emphasized that reducing knife crime will be a top priority if he becomes prime minister after the election on July 4.

Accompanied by actor and campaigner Idris Elba, Sir Keir engaged with several individuals who have lost loved ones to knife crime, including Lorraine Jones, a pastor, whose son Dwayne Simpson was fatally stabbed in Brixton, London, in 2014.

As a former lawyer and director of public prosecutions, Sir Keir pledged that if Labour wins the election, he would host an annual summit to monitor progress in achieving the party’s goal of cutting knife crime incidents by half within a decade.

However, the Labour leader has not directly addressed the issues of gangs or drill music, which were previously highlighted by the relatives of two victims as significant contributors to knife crime.

Sir Keir stated, “Reducing knife crime will be a moral imperative for the next Labour government.”

He added, “Our new cross-government coalition will prioritize knife crime victims and their families, collaborating with them to implement the most robust measures in a generation to eradicate this tragic crime.”

Reports show that crimes involving knives or sharp objects in England and Wales rose by 7 percent to 49,489 in 2023, with a 3 percent decrease from the total before the COVID-19 pandemic in the year ending March 2020.

The number of individuals convicted of possessing a bladed item increased from 27,463 in 2022 to 27,672 last year.

The Epoch Times previously highlighted the case of Rashid Gedel, a 21-year-old drill rapper who had four convictions for knife possession—serving no more than six months in jail—before fatally stabbing Sven Badzak, 22, in February 2021.

Undated image of Rashid Gedel (L), who was convicted along with Shiroh Ambersley (R) and jailed for life for murder after amassing four convictions for possessing a knife, on Aug. 3, 2023. (Metropolitan Police)

In 2006, the then-home secretary in a Labour government, John Reid, held a knife crime summit and contemplated increasing the maximum sentence for carrying a bladed weapon to five years.

However, this initiative was never implemented, and the maximum sentence, according to the Sentencing Council guidelines, remains at four years, with most first-time offenders not receiving custodial sentences.

In their manifesto, Labour states that they “will put an end to the practice of issuing empty warnings by ensuring that carrying a knife leads to immediate intervention and severe consequences.”

They further promise, “Every young person caught with a knife will be referred to a youth offending team and will receive a mandatory plan to prevent reoffending, with penalties including curfews, tagging, and custody for the worst cases.”

Sir Keir mentioned on Tuesday that under a Labour government, more individuals would face imprisonment for carrying knives, acknowledging the impact this would have on the already overcrowded prison population.

Starmer Promises ‘Consequences for Carrying a Knife’

He stated, “We must hold knife crime offenders accountable, they need consequences for carrying a knife. And we must reform the prison system.”

He added, “It’s evident that no prison can be built within the first week of the Labour government. We must tackle the issue and focus on rebuilding not only our prisons but our country, as almost everything is broken under this government.”

Labour has outlined a five-step plan to address knife crime:

Ensuring penalties for young individuals carrying knives.
Implementing a Young Futures program to support those at highest risk.
Taking measures to remove weapons from the streets by expanding the list of prohibited knives and assessing online sales.
Establishing a cross-government coalition involving politicians and community leaders.
Introducing a new offense of child criminal exploitation.

However, the plan does not specifically mention gangs or drill music.

Marie-Julie Koudou, whose son Salim was murdered in 2020, previously informed The Epoch Times that certain drill songs and videos were “fueling” the violence.

Rachel Duncan, who founded Sit Up Stand Up 2 Knife Violence after her 16-year-old nephew James Bascoe-Smith was nearly killed in 2021, also mentioned to The Epoch Times that drill music had exacerbated the territorial gang conflicts.

Sir Keir noted that some measures, such as prohibiting the sale of certain knives online, could be swiftly implemented, while other elements would require more time.

Policing minister Chris Philp remarked, “During Keir Starmer’s time at the Crown Prosecution Service, convictions for weapon possession declined, and knife crime has risen by 20 percent in Labour-managed London.”

Mr. Philp, who is the Conservative candidate for Croydon South, stated, “The choice in the election is clear: combatting crime with Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives, or reverting to square one with Keir Starmer and the same ineffective Labour party that consistently fails to address crime.”

PA Media contributed to this report.

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