ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

Sajid Javid today promised to make it easier for police to use stop and search as he called for a sweeping overhaul of crime-fighting methods.

The Home Secretary said he would “be looking at ways to reduce bureaucracy and increase efficiency” in the deployment of the tactic as part of a raft of changes to improve the police’s ability to tackle a “worrying rise” in serious violent offending.

Mr Javid’s pledge follows the publication of official figures last week showing that fewer stop and searches were carried out in London in the past year, despite the rise in stabbings and other violent street crime.

The number of arrests following searches was also down, even though the Met’s success rate when carrying out such checks is higher than the national average.

Mr Javid has already urged police not to be afraid to use the tactic — signalling a change of tone from previous Home Office edicts

In a speech to police chiefs in London today the Home Secretary indicated that he wanted to go further by making it easier for officers to carry out more searches.

He said that although forces were being “stretched”, more money was not the only way to curb rising crime.

Mr Javid listed improvements to stop and search as the first of a series of changes that could deliver results.

“Money alone isn’t the answer. That’s why I’m also making sure the police have the right powers too,” he told the conference of the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Association of Policing and Crime Commissioners.

“One of these powers is stop and search. I want officers to feel confident, trusted and supported in using stop and search, and I will be looking at ways to reduce bureaucracy and increase efficiency in the use of this power.”

There was no immediate indication of what the potential changes would be, but Mr Javid’s comments will almost certainly be welcomed by rank and file officers who have complained in the past that excessive paperwork and accusations of disproportionality can deter them from using the tactic.

In further comments, Mr Javid emphasised that he wanted to respond to concerns about funding by ensuring that policing was prioritised in the Government’s forthcoming spending review. He and Chancellor Philip Hammond would also be seeking to provide forces with the “resources they need”.

But he told the police chiefs that they also needed to improve the way they run their forces to make better use of taxpayers’ money. He said these changes should include greater collaboration between forces and a stronger focus on crime prevention.

At the same time, the Home Office would seek to plug “capability” gaps through a national detective training programme and extra money for tackling cyber-crime.

Mr Javid said such reforms were needed because “crime is changing faster than we could ever have anticipated” with “previously under-reported crimes like sexual abuse, domestic abuse and modern slavery ... being reported to the police more than ever before” and “a worrying recent rise in serious violent crime”.

The Office for National Statistics revealed this month that knife crime in London has risen to its highest ever level — 14,987 such attacks in the year to the end of June.

Separate statistics last week showed that stop and searches in the capital have fallen to 135,850 over the same period. That is 2.4 per cent down on the previous annual tally.