Police have been given more powers to stop and search people without 'reasonable suspicion' in a bid to clamp down on rising levels of knife crime.
This will make it easier for officers in England and Wales to impose a Section 60 order, which allows them to search anyone in an area if serious violence is anticipated, such as last year's Notting Hill Carnival in London.
According to government figures, between March 2017 and March 2018, 285 people were killed by a knife or sharp object - the highest since records began in 1946 - signalling a four-year rise in murders for police.
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Home Secretary Sajid Javid says the measures will help officers 'on the front line'.
He said: "The police are on the front line in the battle against serious violence and it's vital we give them the right tools to do their jobs.
"That's why we are making it simpler for police in areas particularly affected by serious violence to use section 60 and increasing the number of officers who can authorise the power."
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Between 2017 and 2018 police in England and Wales carried out 2,501 stops and searches under section 60 - a rise of 1,870 on the previous year.
Despite the increase, this still represents a fall in the use of such powers in recent years, after the Home Secretary at the time, Theresa May, demanded reform to stop and search protocol, due its disproportionate use.
Now Prime Minister, May has come out in support of today's announcement, claiming section 60 will be an 'important tool' in stamping out knife crime.
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"These changes will support police officers tackling serious violence in the worst affected areas," she said in a statement.
"Stop and search powers are an important tool in the fight against knife crime, and we will continue to drive tough law enforcement to protect the public.
"As a whole society, we also need to take a hard look at the root causes of these crimes so we can intervene earlier and stop young people from being drawn into violence in the first place."
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Critics of the move however, say they will be ineffective and actually damaging to police relations with the black community.
The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson, Ed Davy, said more time needs to be spent on fostering strong relationships between officers and local communities.
He said: "It won't work. More random, suspicion-less stop and searches, carried out disproportionately on people from BAME communities, are not the answer.
"They will not only consume police time and erode trust in the police, but have little impact in actually preventing people carrying knives. What we really need is more community police officers to build trust, turn young people away from crime, and target stop and searches on those who do carry knives."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: UK News, Home Office