Locals fear town is becoming known for knife crime

An Ipswich Borough councillor says her residents say the town is becoming known for its knife crime

Residents fear a town is becoming "known for having more bleed kits than defibrillators", according to a councillor.

Sam Murray, a Conservative councillor who represents the Castle Hill Ward on Ipswich Borough Council, has called for a knife crime strategy to be implemented across the town in Suffolk.

A motion on this was agreed by the authority two years ago, but it was changed to focus on gangs and county lines as the main drivers behind knife crime.

Jack Abbott, the Labour MP for Ipswich, also recently called for a Suffolk coalition between councils and the police to tackle the issue.

Labour MP for Ipswich Jack Abbott has called for a coalition between councils, the police and other stakeholders to tackle knife crime

A second motion to implement a knife crime strategy was brought to the Labour-led council in September but it was turned down, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A week later a stabbing took place which seriously injured a teenager.

The authority explained that the decision to turn down the motion was because a county-wide serious violence strategy had already been set up, which led to county lines activity going down "quite dramatically" as a result.

There were also assurances that the serious violence strategy was constantly updated and reviewed as a result of the sensitivity around the topic.

"Knife crime is not purely gang-related and it doesn’t only impact those directly involved," Murray said.

“On the doorstep and generally going about my day, the top issue raised is crime in Ipswich and specifically knife crime - it has become common for someone to say that Ipswich is known for having more bleed kits than defibrillators.

“The strategy must include empowering our communities to live their lives free of fear and our residents need to feel equipped to respond effectively and safely should they find themselves faced with a knife-related incident."

Abbott has called for the creation of a Suffolk Knife Crime Coalition to deal with changing challenges and bring together political institutions, the police and other stakeholders.

When asked whether he supported Murray’s campaign, Abbott said he was focused on delivering initiatives which addressed the issue.

"Tackling knife crime in our county requires a collaborative, multi-agency approach and that’s why I’ll be working with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk and will engage with many experts from a variety of areas," he said.

"Clearly, Ipswich Borough Council – while an important stakeholder – is not responsible for policing across Suffolk."

Both representatives accused the other of playing politics with the topic.