Government holds anti-knife crime summit

Sir Keir Starmer has promised action to tackle the online sale of deadly weapons as he hosted a summit with knife crime campaigners, including from the West Country.

Actor Idris Elba who was present at the event, told the summit, "talk is good, but action is important" and said he hoped the work done by a coalition of organisations and campaigners could prevent younger generations being involved in knife crime.

The Prime Minister promised to "double down" on commitments made before the general election on tackling knife violence.

Sir Keir said: "Far too many knives are too easily available, whether that's online, whether that's through the post."

There are examples of knives "bought online being posted through without any markings, and then people picking them up without any identification, and then those knives being used".

It is "just too shocking - that needs to be dealt with", he said.

Sir Keir suggested ministers will look at the punishments for those caught with knives.

The Prime Minister told the knife crime summit in Downing Street: "We also need to deal with the sanctions for those that are found with knives."

But there is also a need to "try to reach into the lives of young people who may be going off the tracks and trying to bring them back before they do so".

Elba, who met Sir Keir during the election campaign to push for action on knife crime, said it was important there was a coalition of interests involved in the first summit, which is expected to become an annual event.

He said: "We needed joined-up thinking, we needed so many different perspectives: parents' perspectives, youth workers' perspectives, charity organisations, governance, policing.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood were at the Downing Street meeting and the new coalition to tackle knife crime will also include technology companies, sport organisations and representatives from the police and the NHS.

The issue in South Yorkshire

Hits Radio has covered the issue of knife crime extensively over the past many months.

We recently heard exclusively from the Mum of a murdered Doncaster man who had seen kids 'as young as 8' carrying knives.

Other campaigners tell us education in the subject for young people needs to be at the top of the agenda.

Anthony Olaseinde founded Always An Alternative, an anti-knife crime charity based in Sheffield.

He said: “It’s disgusting, people’s lives are getting taken.

"Even if someone doesn’t die, the trauma of the effect upon them and their family lasts generations upon generations.

“People have the right to feel safe and I think currently people don’t feel safe, especially young people.

“If you’ve hurt someone with that weapon you should get the maximum prison sentence for knife crime even if they don’t die."

Anthony is the creator of the Sheffield anti-knife crime campaign #KEEPSHEFFIELDSTAINLESS.

"I understand that people might be worried and might not feel safe when they are out but do not carry a weapon to try and make you feel safe because it puts you at risk.

"You are three times more likely to be injured with your own knife.

"We understand now that the knife is not the issue. Its up to the person holding it to decide how it gets used so that’s why we are trying to move away from the knife and focus on the mindset of the young people to make conscious and correct decisions."

First for all the latest news from across the UK every hour on Hits Radio on DAB, at hitsradio.co.uk and on the Rayo app.