Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, commenting on the latest crime figures for England and Wales, said:

“These damning figures show the Conservative government continues to fail communities on crime, especially when it comes to knife crime.

“This has been the inevitable consequence of huge cuts to policing and the loss of 21,000 officers, and the cuts to the key services we rely on to prevent crime, such as youth clubs, mental health support and probation.

“The failure on crime shows again the devastating impact of austerity and why our country can’t afford to make the same mistakes when we emerge from the Coronavirus crisis.”