Former Essex MP welcomes plans to fine social media bosses who don't delete adverts for illegal knives
Anna Firth, former Southend West and Leigh MP, "campaigned relentlessly to tackle online knife sales"
Former Essex MP, who "campaigned relentlessly" to tackle online knife sales, is welcoming any government attempts to tackle knife crime.
It comes as the government announces new measures to tackle knife crime.
Social media bosses who don't take down illegal knife adverts on their platforms could soon be fined 10-thousand pounds.
The Home Office is planning on making executives "personally liable" if posts aren't removed within two days.
Anna Firth, former Southend West and Leigh MP, tells Greatest Hits Radio "it's good to see the new government following through on increasing knife crime measures."
Mrs Firth says "I welcome any attempt by the government to continue the fight against knife crime."
"There were 1500 knife-enabled crimes across Essex last year. Whilst that's down a bit on the year before, that's still 1500 incidents too many."
"Ultimately the last Conservative government gave police the powers they need and it's good to see the new government following through on this.
"We cannot get these knives off our streets and out of our homes unless we stop these reckless retailers selling, particularly online to under-18s", she says.
The Home Office said the proposed measures, announced on Wednesday, to make senior technology executives "personally liable" were in a bid to combat the "unacceptable use of social media and online marketplaces to market illegal weapons and glorify violence" and to make sure content is quickly removed.
Police will be given the power to issue notices to senior bosses at online companies and order them to remove specific adverts and content, potentially within two days, if the plans progress.
Officers can then send a second notice if the company still fails to act which would hold the executive personally liable for a "significant fine" if they do not take action.
The move is the latest step in efforts by ministers to meet Labour's manifesto pledge of halving knife crime levels over the next decade.