Greater Manchester Police one of seven forces to benefit from additional funding to tackle violent crime

Police

Greater Manchester's police force is one of seven that will benefit from an additional £100 million in funding over the next year to tackle knife and violent crime, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on Wednesday (13 March).

The majority of the funding will be provided to Police and Crime Commissioners for the forces where serious violence levels are highest, and which make up around 70% of knife crime: Greater Manchester, London, West Midlands, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Wales.

To prevent knife crime altogether, the funding will also bring together a range of agencies as ‘violence reduction units’ – based on successful models in Glasgow where homicide rates fell by 54% from 2006/07 to 2015/16.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond said: “We know action is needed now to tackle knife crime which is blighting communities around the country.

“This money will be ringfenced to pay for increased police presence and patrolling to make our streets safer. But it will also go further in tackling the causes of this crime by investing in violent crime reduction units in worst affected areas.”

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: “I’ve been doing everything in my power to ensure we have the strongest possible response in place, but tackling this requires action on many fronts.

“Law enforcement plays a key role – and it is clear from speaking to police leaders in recent weeks that they need an immediate increase in resources.”

Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, Bev Hughes said: “Increased funding from Government to help our police tackle knife crime is of course welcome, however we will need to study the detail of the chancellor’s announcement. 

“Regardless, this announcement comes after a decade of government cuts which have led to 2,000 fewer officers on our streets and the decimation of local youth services. 

“We also need to be clear that this is not solely a police issue – we need local authorities, youth services, health, education and schools, as well as other criminal justice partners around the table, working together with our communities to tackle this problem. We also need parents and families to take the closest interest in their youngsters and to talk to them about how to avoid risk. 

“That is the approach we are taking in Greater Manchester. This must, and will, include enforcement action, but how we work with families, communities and our young people to address the reasons why people carry knives is also crucial.”

Final allocations to Police and Crime Commissioners will be confirmed in due course.