On 21st October, I wrote to Tim Passmore, Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk, to call for the establishment of a Suffolk Knife Crime Coalition.
Whilst I applauded the recent work done by the police locally, and welcomed the Government’s pledge to halve knife crime in a decade, we must also recognise the need to evolve our local approach to deal with an ever-changing set of challenges.
My letter follows recent high-profile incidents of knife crime in Ipswich, including the tragic murders of James Quigley in 2023 and Courtney Mitchell in July 2024.
My letter in full:
Dear Tim,
Thank you for meeting me last month to discuss how we can work together to make Ipswich and Suffolk a safer place to live and work. Following on from that meeting, I am writing to you regarding a crucial area that we have spoken about at length: tackling the scourge of knife crime.
Sadly, we have suffered from instances of knife crime in our town, including the tragic murders of Courtney Mitchell in July of this year, and James Quigley in January 2023. These incidents cut two young lives tragically short and illustrate the imperative of tackling knife crime in a multi-faceted and urgent manner.
You will also be aware of ongoing problems regarding county lines drug trafficking and other gang-related violence in Suffolk, much of it involving knife crime. In June 2022, following the stabbing of a young man in Ipswich town centre, Ipswich Borough Council (IBC) identified the clear link between drug dealing and use and knife crime.
The police have been doing admirable work, often in extremely challenging circumstances, to combat these issues. I am pleased that there has been progress on tackling county lines, for example, and I applaud the diligent response of our emergency services in the aftermath of knife crime.
I am also pleased that the new Labour government has already taken important steps to tackle knife crime in its first weeks in office, as part of its pledge to halve knife crime within a decade. The recently announced ban on zombie-style knives was a crucial first step and will be closely followed by a ban on ninja swords. Importantly, the government has also recognised the need for a holistic approach to tackling this type of crime, including tough sanctions and rapid, targeted intervention when a young person is found to be carrying a knife.
Building on these national initiatives, I am writing to you to invite you to join me in establishing a Suffolk Knife Crime Coalition. This Coalition will bring together local political institutions, the police and other relevant stakeholders from across Suffolk - including educational and youth professionals - to review and refresh existing local strategies.
Important work has already begun locally, and I know that there are current strategies in place, but to deal with what is an ever-changing set of challenges, our approach needs to evolve. I am aware, for example, that some young people have started carrying other dangerous weapons, such as tasers and knuckledusters. I know that we all want to ensure that new initiatives help eradicate all weapons from our streets.
I am sure that you will agree that we need a local multi-agency approach to supplement the direction that is being taken nationally. I believe our Coalition will provide us with a renewed focus to help rid our streets of violent crime.
I look forward to hearing from you in due course.
Yours sincerely,
Jack
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