Burton and Uttoxeter’s Member of Parliament, Kate Griffiths, has today (Friday 28th January) brought the Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Priti Patel MP, to Burton to discuss the recent spate of knife crimes on the Staffordshire and Derbyshire border.
The high-profile visit followed meetings held in recent days between Ms Griffiths and PC Scott Gidman from Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Ben Adams; as well as meeting and talking to constituents who have been affected by these tragic crimes.
The Burton MP is supporting a multi-stakeholder response to knife crime—bringing together the police, the state and society—as well as seeking to address the underlying causes of knife crime.
Last week Kate received an endorsement from the Prime Minister for this multi-stakeholder approach at Prime Minister’s Questions (19th January).
The meeting between the local MP and the Home Secretary took place at Langan’s Tearooms, where the Secretary of State also met with Noreen Oliver MBE, Director and Founder of Burton Addiction Centre (BAC).
The Secretary of State was keen to hear all about the rehabilitation services BAC provides, and the supportive opportunities the Centre gives to those wanting to get back on their feet—including valuable employment experience at the tearooms.
Commenting, Kate Griffiths MP, said:
“I am hugely grateful to the Home Secretary for visiting Burton today to discuss the multi-stakeholder response I am calling for in response to a number of recent and very concerning local knife crime incidents.
“The Prime Minister agreed with me in the House of Commons last week that a multi-stakeholder response to tackling knife crime is required if we are going to see a positive reduction in the offence across society.
“That includes brilliant local support services—like Burton Addiction Centre—which are able to help get people with underlying problems back on track.
“Early and targeted interventions are key, and I am determined to work with the Police, educators and those across our communities to prevent any further increase in violent crime and keep our young people and communities safe."
Home Secretary, Priti Patel MP, said:
“I am absolutely determined to cut crime and deliver a safer society for the public, and through our Beating Crime Plan we have a clear plan to tackle knife and violent crime. Our Violence Reduction Units provide direct action to tackle violent crime and offending while providing support to young people with trained youth workers, including at crisis points such as when a young person is being admitted to A&E with a knife injury or upon arrest, to divert them away from violence.
“Our Safer Streets Fund also directly puts resources into communities to increase the safety of public spaces through steps including targeted patrols, increased lighting and CCTV, and work with councils to design out crime.
“I was pleased to discuss the full spectrum of our crime reduction work today with Kate and with Noreen Oliver at the Burton Addiction Centre. Their tremendous work on drug and alcohol rehabilitation is turning people’s lives around and supporting people back into independent living and employment.”
