The Government's approach to knife crime is inadequate and needs to be reviewed, according to the Labour Party’s Nick Thomas-Symonds MP

The Shadow Minister told GB News: “The Government is completely failing. We’ve had an 80% increase since 2015 and rises all around the country. That's the first point.

“On stop and search, that is intelligence lead and evidence-based and is a really important tool. We've had, for example, the Inspectorate of Constabular, an independent organisation, looking at this saying that what's essential is that it is done in that targeted way.

“In a non-targeted way, when it isn't evidence based, it does lead to a lack of community [cohesion].”

In a discussion with Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster, he continued: “The use of technology is hugely important, but is that going to be sufficient? No.

“Let's just take the example today when we will be bringing forward a vote in Parliament for the banning of so-called ninja swords. So these are swords, single bladed but with a 60 centimetre blade.

“We will today be putting [that] forward to the Government who, by the way, have made about 16 different announcements about banning various swords and knives over recent years.

“Let's ban those but also let's have an end to end review of how people get hold of them in the first place.”

He added: “Where these banned items are being sold on online marketplaces, let's make sure that the tech executives who then sell them in breach of the law face criminal sanction.

“But also let's look at ID, let's look as well at the verification that the carriers, whether that's Parcel Force or Royal Mail, are using to try to take these knives from our streets.”

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