This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the forthcoming debate on the impact of government policy on knife crime.
Knife Crime: Government Policy (221 KB, PDF)
On 27 June 2019, the House of Lords is due to debate a motion moved by Lord Paddick (Liberal Democrat). The motion is that “this House takes note of the impact of government policy on knife crime”. This briefing sets out recent statistics relating to knife crime and provides an overview of government policy on the issue, alongside some of the reaction to it.
Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) demonstrates that in recent years, the level of offences involving a knife or sharp object has risen, in some cases reaching historic highs.
Responding to this rise in serious violence, including knife crime, the Government has announced a series of initiatives aimed at tackling the problem. These include: expanded police powers in relation to stop and search; ring-fenced funding to tackle knife crime; and a consultation on a new legal duty to support a multi-agency approach to preventing and tackling serious violence. These measures have received a mixed response. While some have welcomed the actions taken, others have argued the Government is not doing enough.
Knife Crime: Government Policy (221 KB, PDF)
Catch up on parliamentary and constitutional developments with a selection of articles you may have missed. Articles this month look at the politics of the campaign trial, and mark ten years since the referendum on the alternative vote electoral system.
The Queen’s Speech is due to take place on 11 May 2021. In this speech, the Government will set out its plans for the new parliamentary session. This article considers what announcements might be made about home affairs.
The Queen’s Speech is taking place on 11 May 2021. This will set out the Government’s legislative and policy programme for the new parliamentary session. This article provides a summary of legislative proposals for justice and other announcements that may be included in the speech.
