Birmingham knife crime - how each political party would tackle pressing issue

Knife crime continues to devastate families across Birmingham and elsewhere in the region. West Midlands Police dealt with more than 5,300 ‘knife or sharp instrument offences’ in 2023, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Insp Colin Gallier recently told the BBC that while such statistics around knife crime were concerning, the force was investing more money into projects to tackle the violence. Teams were being deployed to hotspot areas to suppress existing youth violence and identify youths that carry knives, he said.

"We experience our own challenges with urban street gangs, organised crime groups, the same across the rest of the country," Insp Gallier added. With the general election under a week away, political parties battling for seats across the country have also shared details about how they would tackle the issue if they came to power.

READ MORE: Birmingham knife crime - how each political party would tackle pressing issue

Here’s a look at what parties in England have said about knife crime in the build-up to the election - links to their websites for further details have been included.

Conservative Party

The Conservative Party, led by Rishi Sunak, says it wants to back the police by giving officers new powers and tools to catch criminals. This would include technology like facial recognition and powers to seize knives and track down stolen property.

According to the manifesto, the Conservatives would also toughen sentences for knife crime if the party remains in power.

Labour Party

Labour’s manifesto says it would ensure knife carrying has tough consequences, saying “Every young person caught in possession of 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 most serious cases". The party, led by Sir Keir Starmer, would ban ninja swords, lethal zombie-style blades and machetes if they came into power.

They would also create a new Young Futures programme with a network of hubs “reaching every community”, with youth workers, mental health support workers, and careers advisers.

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Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats want to adopt a public health approach to the epidemic of youth violence which “identifies and treats risk factors” - rather than just focusing on the symptoms. This would mean police, teachers, health professionals, youth workers and social services working closely together to prevent young people falling prey to gangs and violence.

Other priorities for the party, led by Ed Davey, include investing in youth services and making youth diversion a statutory duty.

Green Party

In its manifesto, the Green Party went into detail about how it tackled knife crime elsewhere in Bristol. “Rather than simply calling for more policing, the Green motion outlined practical solutions and addressed the social factors underlying knife violence,” the party, led by Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay, said.

“It introduced simple but vital steps to save lives, such as providing emergency bleed kits and staff training for night-time venues, and providing more lighting and CCTV to fix ‘blind spots’ in areas of high knife crime.”

Reform UK

Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, said it would push to commence ‘zero tolerance policing’ in a bid to make sure criminals face justice. This would involve a clampdown on all crime and antisocial behaviour and a substantial increase in stop and search.

Another priority for Reform, according to their ‘contract’, is: “Prison for violent crimes and possessing a knife.”

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