WIREDGOV

Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, responding to the Government’s announcement on knife crime, said:

“It is right that knife crime is seen as a public health issue, and that there is a duty put on those whose job it is to keep children safe to do so.

“While this is a step forward, it will not be enough on its own. There must be a commitment from the Government and new Prime Minister to drive this through and put the right resources behind it. It must not be allowed to wither away after any change at No10 or the Home Office.

“To keep children safe we need to know who is going to be accountable locally for delivery. We will also need a new generation of youth workers, more investment in early years and troubled families programmes, better CAMHS services and for local safeguarding boards to up their game.

“This will not be cheap – but if want to see fewer children stabbed to death or seriously injured on our streets, and fewer kids wasting their childhoods in prison, we have to be prepared to invest more to prevent it from happening.”