Bristol to see £650k CCTV upgrade to tackle knife crime

Councillor Mohamed Makawi put forward the motion at Bristol City Council

More than £650,000 will be spent on improving CCTV across Bristol as part of plans to tackle knife crime.

City councillors overwhelmingly agreed to a number of measures including a "serious violence strategy" covering Bristol and the wider region.

The motion was put forward by councillor Mohamed Makawi, whose friend Adam Ali Ibrahim suffered fatal stab wounds in Castle Park on 31 January.

He said he was "delighted" the motion had been successful on Tuesday.

"The council has sent a clear message that Bristol can, and will, do more to tackle knife crime and, most importantly, its causes," added Green Party member Mr Makawi.

The measures agreed by the majority of councillors include plans to install and improve CCTV on local authority land over the next two years.

Future planning developments will also be designed not to include 'blind spots', according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Mr Makawi said: "By taking simple steps like providing emergency bleed kits and training to night-time venues, fixing blind spots and providing more lighting and CCTV in hotspots, we can save lives.

'Put down blades'

"I really hope we can find more money to support Bristol's fantastic grassroots and community organisations, who are at the forefront of this in persuading young people to put down blades.

"Of course, the iron test of this motion will be that it is followed by real action."

Labour made several changes to the proposals, which they said "strengthened" the motion, which the Greens initially opposed before the whole chamber voted in favour.

Party members said they wanted to avoid an implied link between the night-time economy and knife crime, and replace it with a commitment to work with the Bristol Nights Board on preventative measures.

Labour's Ellie King said: "While taking on board the goodwill of this motion, there were several reasons why we felt it needed considerable changes to reflect the sheer depth and breadth of both the challenges we face, of the partnership work already happening across the city and to bring in additional points to strengthen it.

"A key point about this amendment is reiterating that any approach to tackling knife crime needs to be proactive as well as reactive."

Ronaldo Griffiths, 20, of Bristol, denies murder following the death of Adam Ali Ibrahim and is due to go on trial in July.