Kate writes a bi-weekly column for the Burton Mail. This column was originally featured in the 22nd April print edition.
The first duty of any Government is keeping people safe and the country secure. It is important that local communities, residents and victims are listened to and where an individual does harm to another, offenders are brought to justice. That is why I recently launched my Beating Crime survey for residents in Burton and Uttoxeter to hear their views on policing, crime and the perception of crime locally.
Crime can significantly impact our local communities, and it is vital that residents feel safe in their homes and on our streets. At the start of this year Burton saw a spate of knife crimes on the Staffordshire and Derbyshire border which tragically took the lives of several young people.
I have made clear my determination 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.
This week, I will be taking a further step in my efforts for a multi-stakeholder response to knife crime incidents. I have invited key stakeholders to a roundtable event—bringing together the police, the state and society—seeking to address the underlying causes of knife crime. Organisations taking part include Staffordshire Police; Staffordshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Ben Adams; Staffordshire County Council; East Staffordshire Borough Council; local secondary schools and many others. There is no silver bullet or single solution to tackling knife crime. There are many reasons which may lead someone to carrying a knife which why a holistic approach is the right one. I am looking forward to the discussions at the roundtable later this week and will continue to work with local community leaders to see how we can tackle knife crime in our area.
Having raised concerns about violent crime with the Prime Minister and even inviting the Home Secretary to Burton, I know the Government is listening to what we have to say and is ready to support us in beating crime in Burton. There is still time to have your say by taking part in the resident’s Beating Crime survey on my website: www.kategriffiths.org.uk/BeatingCrimeSurvey.
