| answer text |
<p>This Government is determined to turn the tide on knife crime in all areas, wherever
it occurs. Across England and Wales, we are recruiting 20,000 more police officers
over the next three years and increasing sentences for violent criminals. We have
made it easier for the police to use enhanced stop and search powers and we will introduce
a new court order to make it easier for the police to stop and search those who have
been convicted of knife crime.</p><p>We will also ensure that anyone charged with
knife possession will appear before magistrates within days and we are also making
£10 million available to the police to equip more officers with tasers. In addition,
we have legislated through the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 to give the police more
powers and to ensure knives are less likely to make their way on to the streets and
we will also be introducing the Serious Violence Bill to place a duty on the police,
councils and health authorities to work together to prevent and tackle serious violence.</p><p>Over
the last 12 months, we have increased police funding, by £1 billion this year and
announced that the amount of funding available to the policing system in 2020 to 2021
will increase by more than £1.1 billion. We have also announced a targeted £25 million
to tackle county lines drug gangs, given the links between drugs, county lines and
serious violence and we have provided the £100 million Serious Violence Fund to provide
support to the 18 police force areas most affected by serious violence. Of this, Essex
Police has been allocated £1.76 million to pay for a surge in police operational activity,
such as increased patrols in greater numbers for longer periods of times, as well
as new equipment and technology, improved intelligence and targeting, and an enhanced
investigative response.</p><p>A further £1.16m from the Fund was invested in developing
Essex Police’s Violence Reduction Unit.</p><p>On 29 December 2019 the Home Secretary
announced a further £35 million to continue funding Violence Reduction Units. Essex
Police have been allocated another £1.16m for 2020/21 to continue to tackle the root
causes of serious violence.</p>
|
|
