Government shouldn’t brush knife crime under the carpet, Church says

A debate is going to be held on Saturday at the Church of England’s General Synod.

Synod member Rev Canon Jonathan Ford told Premier the Church is on the “front-line” trying to make a difference.

“What we’re trying to do is not let the government brush it under the carpet. Action has got to be taken by a whole range of services working in concert.

“This gives us a very good platform to speak to the nation about how serious this is.”

After falling for several years, knife crime in England and Wales is rising again.

Rev Canon Dr Rosemarie Mallett, a vicar in Angell Town, Brixton, south London will submit a motion, calling on local parishes to offer themselves as sanctuaries, both for young people in need of a quiet, safe place and those urgently fleeing violent attacks.

Speaking to Premier last month, she said: “If we can work within our schools to bring exclusions down, to stop off-rolling as much as possible, and to find solutions within the school for the challenges that young people are facing, we give them a better possibility for the future.”

Theresa May has promised a cross-Government response to knife crime as she rejected claims police cuts had contributed to a series of brutal stabbings around the country.

The Prime Minister vowed to tackle the causes of knife crime by addressing the issues which led “so many…