Stop and search orders should cover over-12s, murdered girl's mum says

Ava White was killed after a Christmas lights switch-on event in Liverpool in 2021

The mother of a girl who was stabbed to death has said new knife crime stop and search orders aimed at adults should also apply to children.

Merseyside Police has begun trialling new powers which make it easier to search over-18s who have previously been convicted of carrying a blade.

Leeann White, whose daughter Ava was killed by a boy in 2021, said they "should be applied as young as 12".

She said if children were known to police, the new powers should be used.

Ava was killed in Liverpool city centre in a row over a Snapchat video after a Christmas lights switch-on in November 2021.

A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for her murder in July 2022.

Thousands of weapons seized

A trial of serious violence reduction orders (SVRO) has now begun in four force areas in England in a bid to take weapons off the streets.

The orders allow police to detain a person subject to an SVRO, provided they are in a public place, and search them for bladed articles or offensive weapons.

Ms White said she backed the police "100%" and supported the new powers.

"At the end of the day, we all want the same thing, we all want weapons off the streets," she said.

"Personally, I think it should be applied as young as 12, especially if they're known to the police.

"If they're known for anti-social behaviour, why can't they stop and search apply to them?"

She said Ava's murderer had been 14 when he killed her "and maybe if this was launched earlier, he would have been stop and searched and Ava would still be here".

"That knife could've been taken off the streets," she added.

"We all know there's 12 year olds capable of murder, there's 12 year olds being caught carrying knives."

Merseyside Police said between 2019 and January 2023, it seized more than 10,000 weapons and made more than 3,000 arrests for serious violence offences.

Supt Phil Mullally said the pilot scheme coincided with a range of activity already taking place to tackle knife crime on Merseyside.