James Duddridge, Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East, today asked his first question to the Prime Minister since she was appointed in July.
James took the opportunity to ask the Prime Minister what more can be done to tackle knife and drug related crime in Southend.
James said
“I wanted to ask the Prime Minister what more can be done to support our Police Crime Commissioner and Essex Police in tackling these challenges. Although nationally knife crime has fallen, unfortunately it is on the increase in Southend and more needs to done to tackle this. I was reassured that the Prime Minister will ensure that the Government will do all they can to support us.”
Full text of question to the Prime Minister and the answer detailed below
James Duddridge MP “In Southend, crimes such as burglary and vehicle theft are down, but knife crime is on the increase, particularly that perpetrated by drug dealers and drug users. Can my right hon. Friend confirm that this will be a priority for Her Majesty’s Government? Specifically, is there anything more that she can do to help police and crime commissioners such as Roger Hirst to deal with this very big challenge?”
I thank my hon. Friend for raising an issue that is very important for everybody in the House. Certainly the Government will do all they can to support police and crime commissioners such as Roger Hirst, who is already doing an excellent job in Essex. Since 2009, knife crime figures have fallen overall, but I recognise my hon. Friend’s concerns. That is why the Home Office has been supporting police forces such as Essex in conducting weeks of action against knives under Operation Sceptre. We have legislated to ban dangerous knives, including zombie knives. We are putting tough sentences in place and making sure that offenders are punished. We should send a very clear message that we will not tolerate knife crime in this country.