Punish those selling knives to children, say local LibDems (Westminster and City of London Liberal Democrats)

Westminster and City of London Liberal Democrats <info@westminsterlibdems.org.uk>

Punish those selling knives to children, say local LibDems

August 1, 2008 6:31 PM

LibDem Mark Blackburn outside St John's Wood police station

Firmer action is needed to punish those who sell knives to children, says local LibDem Mark Blackburn

Westminster Liberal Democrats are calling for tougher action against individuals caught selling knives to children and young people.

Chair of the local Liberal Democrats Mark Blackburn made the call after seeing figures for prosecutions that were uncovered in the House of Commons by LibDem Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne MP.

The figures reveal that:

only 71 people have been successfully prosecuted for selling knives to children in the last five years
not a single one was sent to prison and only one was given a community sentence
56 were fined, but 21 of them were given fines of less than £200

Commenting, Mark said, "I am speechless. This is an utterly inadequate deterrent to those unscrupulous enough to sell these weapons to children and young people."

"These puny fines and the lack of a single custodial punishment is absolutely the wrong signal to send to those who profit from the illegal sale of knives.

"These figures are especially worrying for our area. They came to light only days after the release of other figures showing 7,428 serious crimes in the capital involved a knife in 2007/08. Knife crime makes up 18% of all serious crime taking place in London."

"Although these figures do not record children and young people separately, they do show that knife crime is a serious problem. It is too easy for children and young people to get hold of knives. Too many are being drawn into a culture of carrying and using knives. That must stop.

"Liberal Democrats believe that the courts must take a far stronger and tougher line on those who are adding to the problem of knife crime by illegally selling knives to children and young people.

"Cutting off the supply of knives must be one of the most effective ways to reducing knife crime in the first place."

The maximum punishment for selling a knife to someone who is underage is six months in prison and/or a £5,000 fine. Since 1st October 2007, underage in this context has been under 18 years of age. The figures obtained by Chris Huhne MP are for the period 2002-2006 (the latest period for which figures are available), when it was under 16 years of age.