KNIFE crime is at an all-time high.
Last year, nearly 50,000 offences were committed, a third of them in London.
This has to stop.
In Northern Ireland, while serving out there, we had the power to stop and search, which proved highly effective.
So, I know what I’m talking about.
The police have that power, too, but it was severely diluted by former Home Secretary Theresa May, who was lobbied heavily by those opposed to the tactic.
They objected that black people were being targeted disproportionately.
From a high of 1.2 million in 2010, searches fell to just 280,000 by 2017.
Back up to 542,000 now, but still woefully short of what’s needed.
It’s worse in the Met, with the Commissioner admitting that his officers lack confidence to use the measure.
The situation has been exacerbated with the closure of more than 600 police stations, 36 of them in London, a policy I have vociferously opposed.
After a recent spate of horrific attacks involving machetes and ‘zombie knives’, Policing Minister Chris Philp has called for a robust, new initiative aimed at increasing the use of stop and search.
Safeguards remain, but restrictions on its use have been eased.
Rightly, he says appeasement must end and the police allowed to prevent needless deaths, all too often among the young.
And we must challenge those who conflate racism with the legal apprehension of those who carry knives, for which there is no excuse.
It’s sobering that black men are nine times more likely to be murdered and five times more likely to require hospital treatment.
Yes, the issue can be politically charged, regrettably, but that must not prevent the police from doing their job, without fear or favour.