Birmingham MP welcomes 6% funding uplift for police force amid wave of knife crime in region
Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston, has welcomed a major funding increase for West Midlands Police Force from the Government to help deliver on its mission to create safer streets.
West Midlands Police will receive an additional £48 million for 2025-26, equivalent to a 6% funding boost.
The announcement of new funding comes amid a series of tragic knife-related incidents in the West Midlands. Earlier this week, 12-year-old Leo Ross was murdered in Hall Green, Birmingham, after a knife attack on his way home from school.
Under the Conservatives, knife crime rose drastically. In July, the ONS found knife crime in England and Wales had shot up by 78% over the past ten years.
Enforcement for knife offences has also been remarkably low. Only 4 in 10 knife possession offences last year resulted in any formal criminal justice outcome, meaning that far too often, carrying a knife has not carried any consequences.
This week, in a Parliamentary debate on knife crime in the West Midlands, Preet Kaur Gill MP expressed her concern about the rise of serious violence among young people and welcomed the Government’s commitment to halve knife crime in a decade.
Labour is working to tackle violent crime in our communities by delivering a vital funding boost of up to £1 billion in 2025-2026 for police forces across England and Wales. This includes £100 million to kickstart the recruitment of 13,000 neighbourhood officers and £50 million for Violence Reduction Units to tackle knife crime.
Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston, said:
“Knife crime is a crisis in our communities. In recent years, I have been witness to some horrific cases – in every one, what strikes you immediately is the senselessness of it.
“We must work to prevent this awful crime and find a meaningful solution to the epidemic of young boys taking each other’s lives.
“I welcome the Government’s much-needed funding boost to our police force, including a dedicated pot for tackling knife crime, accompanied by a package of measures to deliver on our commitment to halve knife crime in a decade.”
The government has set out a pathway to bring down knife crime:
A new Young Futures programme – with new Prevention Partnerships and youth hubs so we can intervene earlier to prevent at-risk young people from being drawn into violent crime
A ban on ninja sorts and fines for senior social media execs who fail to remove illegal knife crime content from their platforms
Online retailers to be forced to ask anyone buying a knife for two types of identification, with buyers asked to submit an identity document, such as a passport, and record a live video to prove their age
A new coalition to tackle knife-enabled crime, working together with technology companies, sport organisations, the health service, the police, and the families of victims
A new offence of criminal exploitation of children, to go after the gangs who are luring young people into violence and crime
A plan to plan to place youth workers and mentors in A&E units and Pupil Referral Units, to identify and help those children and young people who are victims of serious violence and exploitation
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