Stop And Search Saves Lives Says Sajid Javid

15 April 2019, 10:48

The Government needs to work on preventing young people being drawn into a life of crime, according to the Home Secretary.

Opening a speech on speech on violent crime, policing, and prevention, Sajid Javid said "police told me more powers and funding were needed."

He went on to say "I know BAME communities will be disproportionality affected, but stop and search saves lives. I cannot say this clearly enough."

In his first major speech on crime, Mr Javid said: "Just as we can design products to prevent crime, we can also design policy to shape the lives of young people to prevent criminality.

"Changing the lives of young people will not be an easy task. Crime has a way of drawing in those who feel worthless."

The Home Secretary said that the "mindset of Government needs to shift" to combat the violent epidemic. One of Mr Javid's ideas is a "public health" approach to the problem. 

In his first major speech on crime, the Home Secretary said that violent offending should be treated like the "outbreak of some virulent disease".

Mr Javid demanded that all parts of Government work together to tackle crime "in all its guises".

Under the plans, state bodies could be made subject to a legal duty requiring them to have "due regard" to the prevention and tackling of serious violence.

Earlier this year, a spate of fatal stabbings prompted warnings of a "national emergency".

This saw an extra £100m funding for  Violence Reduction Units, bringing together a range of agencies including health, education, social services and others, to develop a multi-agency approach in preventing knife crime altogether.

As well as extra funding, rules on the use of stop and search have been relaxed in violence-hit areas.