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A Lib Dem government would invest £500 million to curb the rise of knife violence epidemic on our streets, Jo Swinson has said.

Ms Swinson said her party would invest the cash in youth services as part of a public health approach to cracking down on the knife crime.

The cash would be used to "provide young people with positive, safe and healthy opportunities to prevent them being drawn into youth violence and gang-related crime".

Praising the Scotland's Violence Reduction Unit, the Lib Dems said they would put protection for local youth services in law to protect them from future cuts.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: Getty Images)

The VRU works with teachers, social workers, and the NHS to help police reduce violence.

Ms Swinson said: "We are in a knife crime epidemic, but successive governments have taken the wrong approach to dealing with it.

"For 25 years, Conservative and Labour governments have been competing to seem tough on crime, without doing enough to actually prevent crime.

" Liberal Democrats will build a brighter future for young people by investing £500 million a year in youth services and taking a public health approach to youth violence.

"With a Liberal Democrat government, young people will have the support and opportunities they deserve, our communities will be stronger and people will feel safer."

Spending on youth services has been cut by 70% since the Conservatives came to power in 2010, but the Liberal Democrats were in coalition until 2015.