Nickie Aiken, Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster, spoke out to tackle knife crime.
Commenting following the debate, Nickie said,
"Knife crime affects us all. That’s why we must all work together.
"During an important debate on knife crime last week, I spoke out to highlight the case of Hani.
"Hani was a 16-year-old who was murdered in Pimlico 11 years ago.
"His family have lived with the tragedy ever since. It’s sadly something too many families have been through.
"That’s why we need a holistic approach to tackling knife crime by bringing all services together. I saw the success of that approach first-hand whilst cabinet member for public protection at Westminster City Council where I tackled serious knife crime. I established the first-ever integrated gangs unit and launched Your Choice to give our young people a choice over their future and ensure our streets are safer. It’s a lesson of how local authorities can effect change, and how a joined-up approach does work.
"I welcome the Government’s significant action to ensure our streets are safe, including recruiting 3,666 police officers across London, launching its action plan to crack down on anti-social behaviour, and changing the law to ban zombie-style machetes. I’ve also launched my crime and anti-social behaviour plan, shaped by your views.
"This was an important cross-party debate, and we must continue working together to send an unequivocal message that carrying a knife is not the right solution."
