Enfield Council gets tough on knives
Date and Time of Publication:- 2008-01-16 14:33:57
Enfield Council’s leader has urged courts to get tough on knife crime in the aftermath of a recent spate of stabbings in the capital and the murder of Henry Bolombi , in Edmonton on New Year’s Day.
Councillor Mike Rye called on tougher action: "I welcome Sir Ian Blair' instruction to his officers to prosecute anyone caught in possession of knives.
“For far too long there has been excessive use of caution, which has sent out a soft message on knife crime to the community.
“It's absolutely essential that we adopt a zero tolerance approach to knife crime and those in possession of knives.
"However, it is no good the police prosecuting those caught with a knives only for the courts to merely give the offender a slap on the wrist.”
And Cllr Rye said the government may have to step in if the courts fail to hand out stiffer sentences.
He said: “ There needs to be tougher sentencing and a mandatory jail sentence.
“Only until the courts get tough on knife crime can we effectively deal with this national problem."
This document was last updated on 2008-01-16 14:33:57 published by the Communications team. Document Reference:LBE_132197
