'It's time to put politics to one side': MP urges unity over knife crime sentences
Black Country MPs have joined forces to support an Express & Star campaign for stiffer sentences for knife crime, with one insisting: "It is time to put party politics to one side."
A change.org petition – which has already received more than 1,000 signatures – is calling on Theresa May and Amber Rudd to introduce a mandatory prison sentence for anyone found in possession of a knife.
It comes after the start of 2018 saw record levels of violence across the West Midlands, with five murders among 21 serious stabbings recorded by police.
Today MPs from across the political divide have declared their support for the E&S campaign and signed the petition.
Mike Wood, the Conservative MP for Dudley South, met with police officers in his constituency last week to discuss knife crime and sentencing powers.
He declared his support for the E&S campaign and said: "It is hard to think of many crimes more horrific than a stabbing. People who carry out such crimes deserve the strongest possible sentence.
"It is time that as politicians we put party politics to one side and made sure that anyone who carries or uses a knife is given the strongest and longest sentence."
Adrian Bailey, the Labour MP for West Bromwich West, has also backed the campaign.
He said: "Given the extremely worrying rise in knife crime, introducing mandatory sentences sends a message that the issue is being taken seriously, and that anyone who carries a knife is crossing over a threshold.
"It is a measure that could be useful when combined with effective community policing."
The number of deaths caused by knives across the region has risen from 13 in 2015 to 23 last year – a rise of 77 per cent, according to official figures.
