No more red tape in drive to cut knife crime

GMP have been encouraged by new measures to cut knife crime. This image shows a man robbing cash from a Middleton shop at knifepoint last month.

Ministers have bid to reduce red tape in the fight against knife crime in Greater Manchester. Officers will no longer have to fill out lengthy forms when stopping people for informal questioning on the street.

Police say that special 'stop and account' forms are bureaucratic and ministers believe that cutting the forms will save the police hundreds of thousands of hours a year.

Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Peter Fahy, said: "Greater Manchester Police welcomes today’s announcement of the new measures to help us tackle knife crime. The impact of knife crime on people and communities can be devastating, however it has remained fairly stable over the last few years and represents only a small percentage of all crime in our region. These new measures should make us more effective in reducing the number of knives and offensive weapons on the streets.

"The biggest frustration of front line officers at the moment is lack of discretion, disproportionate bureaucracy and the target culture. These changes along with others proposed in the recent Green Paper will in time enable officers to spend more time on the street where they can have most impact.”

A series of planned operations across the county are already underway to identify and arrest people carrying knives. Over the past two months the police have used knife arch operations to check more than 4,000 people for weapons in town centres. Only a small number of knifes have been detected through these operations and have provided a welcome reassurance to the public on the extent of the problem.

The police are working with their partners in Trading Standards to warn traders of the penalties of selling knives to people under 18, that can now carry a prison sentence of up to six months or a fine of up to £5,000. They are also working with local authorities and other partners to develop longer-term initiatives that will help educate young people of the dangers of carrying weapons.

Chief Constable Fahy continues: “We are committed to reducing the number of knives and offensive weapons on our streets and GMP will take tough action against anyone found to be carrying a knife in a public place."