The Crisis of Knife Crime
West Midlands Police Federation chair Rich Cooke has expressed frustration with the court’s leniency towards repeat knife-crime offenders, saying it “makes a mockery” of the police’s efforts to crack down on this serious issue.
Knife crime remains a grave concern, with statistics revealing that in the 12 months to March 2023, the West Midlands region experienced a staggering 4,445 knife crime incidents.
Even more concerning is the lenient approach to sentencing, with only 215 people sent to prison for knife crime offences during the same period.
The average sentence handed down for these crimes? A mere four years and six months.
An Unjust Reality
Despite legislation passed three years ago meant to impose an automatic custodial sentence for repeat offenders, only around a third are being sent to prison.
Rich describes this situation as demoralising for police officers and a mockery of the law.
The problem, he told TalkTV, is that the courts are finding ways to avoid applying the law, relying on a “get-out clause” that allows them to disregard mandatory sentencing “in the interests of justice.”
A Change in Tactics, but Same Results
West Midlands Police have increased arrests since the arrival of their new Chief Constable, but the reality remains that many “potential killers” are walking free.
Charging rates for suspected knife offences have fallen from over 60% in 2016 to just over 30% last year.
Rich is all for rehabilitation, particularly for juvenile offenders, but he questions the wisdom in giving multiple chances to those who repeatedly engage in violent crime.
“We are here to protect the innocent people who live in this country,” he stated.
Victims Turn Offenders
Acknowledging that some knife crime victims become offenders by arming with knives for protection, Rich called this a “vicious circle.”
He urged the courts to impose maximum sentences and stressed the importance of secure detention for juveniles.
The Human Toll
Rich’s impassioned plea focuses on ordinary, hard-working people in places like Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Coventry, who are left picking up the pieces after these devastating crimes.
In the West Midlands, efforts to crack down on knife crime are evident, but there is a growing feeling that the people who pass the sentences don’t have to live with the consequences.
Prisons At Bursting Point?
The prison system in England and Wales is feeling the strain of an increasing population that has now surpassed its total operational capacity of 84,844, which includes both male and female prisons, as well as young offender institutions.
In 2022, the prison population was reported to be 86,602, leading to some facilities operating at over 100% capacity.
To counter this, the government has announced plans to build new prisons and increase the use of electronic tagging for offenders.
Several factors have contributed to the spike in the prison population.
There has been a noticeable rise in the crime rate in England and Wales in recent years, resulting in more people being sentenced to incarceration.
The increase in drug use across the regions has escalated the number of individuals sentenced for drug-related offences.
The combination of these factors continues to put significant pressure on the capacity of prisons, leaving the system grappling with the challenge of housing an ever-growing number of inmates.
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Mr Cooke makes perfect sense and the absurd sentences simply destroy police morale. What is the point of going the extra mile only to see the same faces going round and round in the system.
We need a Minimum Sentences Act with no exceptions that lays down minimum prison time for each offence. The CPs must charge all offences, not just the easy ones, particularly where multiple offences occur. Each one must be charged and each one have a minimum sentence. The concept of concurrent periods of incarceration must go. All sentences MUST be consecutive.
A further refinement would be the automatic doubling of preceding sentences. Say someone was connvicted for driving while disqualified and uninsured. Let us then assume they had drugs in their system, failed to stop, TWOC, drove dangerously and crashed.
All of the offences should be charged, including the crashing bit which is criminal damage times two, one count for the damage to the TWOCed car and another for any other damage.
They would get a 12 month suspended sentence for drug driving and points and a fine for no insurance. They would go inside for 12 months for having drugs in their system, an other year for failing to stop and TWOC, two years for dangerous driving and a year for each of the criminal damage charges. That is a total of 6 years. Once released, they would still have to serve their 12 month ban, which would be a suspended sentence.
If they are caught driving while disqualified, they would go straight to jail and that time added to the previous 6 years already served. Upon conviction, the start line would be 14 years inside and that is before additional charges are brought.
Jails are an issue. Follow the example of Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona. He built a $100,000 prison in the desert and kitted it out with Korean War surplus tents and other kit. Food was basic but wholesome. His line was very simple. If you do not like it here, it is up to you to make sure that you do not come back.
We could build prison camps in the cold, miserable corners of the nation on WW2 patterns and there they stay until they learn how to behave.
I promise you that crime levels would drop through the floor in less time than it takes to tell.