As knife crime has increased throughout these few months, police have been given more power to conduct 'Stop and Searches'.
Knife crime has reached its peak as of last year, particularly in the London area. In 2018, there were almost 40,000 offences involving a knife. Due to this rise in statistics, 'Stop and Search' powers have been increased.
What does this mean? This increase in power makes it easier for officers to search people in areas where the violence may occur. Some people have protested this idea, as some people have exploited that power in the past and they feel it is not as useful in preventing knife crime.
This power is being trialled in seven places in which most knife crime occurs: London, the West Midlands, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Wales and Greater Manchester.
