Chris Vince MP backs new action to tackle knife crime in Harlow
Crime / Tue 14th Apr 2026 at 06:18am
CHRIS Vince MP for Harlow, has backed new Government action to tackle knife crime, as part of its plan to halve knife crime.
With (reported) knife crime already down by 8%, and knife-related homicides and hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object at their lowest level in a decade, Labour has announced plans to go further.
A Labour press release states: “The latest measures include targeted support for schools in high-risk areas, with up to 250 schools set to receive specialist training to help identify risks early and prevent young people from being drawn into violence. The 50 schools facing the greatest challenges will receive more intensive support.
A new Safety In & Around Schools Partnership, backed by £1.2 million, will help schools improve safety on journeys to and from school and respond to risks in their local area.
Alongside prevention, the Government is stepping up enforcement with new mapping technology that allows police to pinpoint exactly where and when knife crime is most likely to occur, down to specific streets and times of day. By focusing action on the areas that account for 90% of knife crime, officers can be deployed more effectively, with increased patrols and targeted use of tools such as knife arches, CCTV and Live Facial Recognition to deter offending and catch criminals.
“This new approach is backed by £26 million through the Knife Crime Concentrations Fund, alongside over £34 million this year to tackle County Lines gangs and the exploitation of young people”.
Chris Vince, MP for Harlow said:
“Knife crime leaves a lasting mark on communities, not just in the headlines but in how safe people feel day to day, not to mention the huge impact of the crimes on their families.
“For over a decade, the Conservatives allowed it to spiral out of control, leaving communities to live with the consequences. This government is taking the action needed to get a grip of it. What matters now is acting early and focusing effort where it will make the biggest difference.
“That means diverting young people away from violence and taking firm action against those responsible for it.”
Tony
2026-04-14 08:00:19
Knife crime would not have taken off if the government and councils invested in youth clubs. They closed them all so kids had no were to go so there was no education about knifes and drugs. And now they spent more money to try and get under control why do they not just admit they got it wrong and invest in places for the youth off today can go instead off being on the streets. you cannot put the genie back in the bottle but you can get the kids off the streets 😮💨😉🤔
Peter Smith
2026-04-14 08:10:17
Quite right Tony. The Harlow Playschemes were a fantastic resource for children back in the day. Kept us off the streets and gave us many activities to do, with a social element thrown in.
David Forman
2026-04-14 08:47:59
If knife is crime is down, is it because the police didn't turn up to incidents when invited? I'm thinking of the YourHarlow story of masked flag raisers acting aggressively towards the school secretary outside Passmores Academy: https://www.yourharlow.com/2026/03/18/essex-police-grilled-by-councillors-over-999-incident-involving-masked-men-and-flags-outside-school/
Brian
2026-04-14 12:08:11
If only stop and search wasn’t so racist.
FedUpPensioner
2026-04-14 19:02:02
Brian-Not sure if you are being sarcastic or serious...Stop and Search can only be described as racist if it unfairly targets a certain demographic of society. A quick search shows that although young black males make up about 3% of the London population, they account for 53-61% of knife crime perpetrators and 45% of knife crime murders. So there would seem little point stopping and searching middle aged white women in London. However stop and searching of black males in London is often seen as racist despite the facts that the majority of knife crime sits within that demographic of society. If anyone was a parent of 1 of the of the knife crime murders surely they would have wanted more stop and search irrespective of the optics. 1 life not lost has to be worth it.
Brian K
2026-04-14 19:47:44
I was joking! Plus your stats are incorrect black knife crime is actually over 80% of all knife crime. More people would be alive if stop and search was still in place. Recently Finbar Sullivan was stabbed by a black chap.
FedUpPensioner
2026-04-15 13:27:05
Brian K- Trust me I am on the same page and more than apprieciate the sentiments, however always err on the side of caution when commenting on such a emotive subject so as not to upset the more sensitive amongst us.
Marie
2026-04-16 18:00:05
Keir starmer's premiership went catastrophically wrong as soon as he entered No 10 because he is a man who has No love or regard for either our country or our population here. He's a little man who was inebriated by power. It went wrong when he made it his mission to eraise our national identity in favour of a globalist agenda. It went wrong when he went hell for leather to get us back into the EU . It went wrong when he took the British public for idiots, thinking they would believe his lies and over look his deceit. It went catastrophically wrong when he put in place a two tier judicial system. It went wrong when he welcomed this tidal wave of illegal migrants into this country with incentives that would make anyone want to swim the channel to receive them nevermind come over in a boat. It went wrong when he made shoplifting legal and we are made to pay the shortfall with higher prices. It went wrong when he force fed us cultural enrichment and cultural cohesion, both of which have been total disasters within our social structure. And have caused unbreathable divisions within our nation. It went wrong when he betrayed our farmers, our Waspi women and over a quarter of a million children who have been abused by men from cultures where this kind of behaviour is deemed normal It went wrong when he made it normal for those who don't want to work get more in benefits than those who get up at the crack of dawn every morning, slog their tripe out day after day monotonously and for them to give half their wages to keep illegal Migrants , pay for net zero madness and ridiculous DEI ideologies. It went wrong when he ignored the request for our main ally to use the air bases in Britain. Even after our Base in Cyprus had been bombed by our enemies. It went wrong when he gave jobs to the boys knowing full well their past form. Then pleading plausible deniabilitynwhen the scandals were brought to the floor. It went wrong when he allowed Ed Milliband to stop us drilling for our own oil and gas, even though our country is in the verge of Bankruptcy, and we have to revert to paying Top Dollar for both from other countries. This man has made the labour party and our country an international joke and embarrassment. In short this man is a walking disaster area and should Never have been placed in such an important powerful position. And He Should NEVER hold another position of high responsibility EVER AGAIN. So Chris Vince and your MP colleagues if you can't see the woods for the trees Either your in denial burying your head's deep within the sand. Or is it Self preservation. Either way the majority of this country cannot be wrong! Hang your heads in shame for continuing to support a man who dodges questions like bullets from a machine gun. Who has brought this country to its knees. You know it and your Party Knows it. So does the rest of this country.
David Forman
2026-04-17 09:52:51
For all the Reform supporters stirring the pot about black people, I picked a random YourHarlow news item about knife crime from 2025. The two teenage perpetrators names were Charlie Adcock and Tommy Ellis. They sound like a right pair of white Cockney geezers. Not even a tanning salon bronze hue between them. See https://www.yourharlow.com/2025/01/30/sumners-two-harlow-teenagers-in-court-accused-of-stabbing-and-possession-of-machete-and-knife/
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