Amber Rudd unveils £40m serious violence strategy so ‘no parent has to bury their child’ A major crackdown on violent crime will be announced by Amber Rudd on Monday in an attempt to halt the […]

A major crackdown on violent crime will be announced by Amber Rudd on Monday in an attempt to halt the rise in the number of stabbings, shootings and acid attacks on Britain’s streets.

A new Serious Violence Strategy backed by £40m of funding will be launched by the Home Secretary at a speech in London, in the wake of a wave of killings in the capital.

“We must do whatever it takes to tackle this so that no parent has to bury their child” The i politics newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription. Amber Rudd

Promising to do “whatever it takes” to keep the country’s streets safe, she will say her aim is to dramatically cut levels of violent crime “so that no parent has to bury their child”.

Figures for the year ending last September show that in England and Wales, knife crime increased by 21 per cent, gun crime by 20 per cent and murder rates by 17 per cent.

Officials said the new strategy marked a “major shift” in the Government’s response to violent crime, focusing on community-led early intervention to stop young people being drawn into gangs.

As part of this £11m will be provided over two years to establish an Early Intervention Youth Fund, supporting local projects which help to turn children away from lives of violence.

Projects expanded

The London-based youth charity Redthread will also be supported to expand its existing violence intervention programme outside the capital, starting with Nottingham and Birmingham.

The drive will be backed up by a clampdown on the sale and possession of weapons through the Offensive Weapons Bill, which will outlaw so-called “zombie” knives and knuckle-dusters.

A further £3.6m will also be provided to tackle the “county lines” drug distribution model, where city gangs branch out into rural or coastal towns, using children as couriers.

“This strategy represents a real step-change in the way we think about and respond to these personal tragedies, these gruesome violent crimes which dominate the front pages of our newspapers with seemingly depressing regularity,” Ms Rudd will say.

“A crucial part of our approach will be focusing on and investing more in prevention and early intervention.

“We need to engage with our young people early and to provide the incentives and credible alternatives that will prevent them from being drawn into crime in the first place.”

She will add: “We will take the comprehensive approach necessary to make sure that our sons and daughters are protected and our streets are safe.

“As a Government we will never stand by while acid is thrown or knives wielded. We must do whatever it takes to tackle this so that no parent has to bury their child.”