Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a new national police force to combat the violent disorder seen in parts of England in the wake of the Southport stabbings.
Three children were killed following a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on Monday (July 29).
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were fatally stabbed during the attack after a knifeman entered the dance class on Hart Street.
Eight children suffered knife wounds – with five of them left in a critical condition – while two adults, yoga class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes, were also critically hurt.
A 17-year-old boy has been charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article, in relation to the attack.
Sir Keir Starmer announces new national police force
Sir Keir met with senior police chiefs on Thursday (August 1) to work out a response to Monday's knife attack in Southport.
Speaking during a press conference held after the meeting, the Prime Minister thanked police officers who “stood up to intimidation and violence” and announced a new national police force would be formed in an attempt to stop something like this happening again.
He said the meeting was held to “pull together our response, response both to the immediate challenge which is clearly driven by far-right hatred, but also all violent disorder that flares up whatever the apparent cause or motivation”.
Sir Keir added: “We make no distinction. Crime is crime. And so, to that end, I can announce today that, following this meeting, we will establish a national capability across police forces to tackle violent disorder.
“These thugs are mobile, they move from community to community. We must have a policing response that can do the same.
"Shared intelligence, wider deployment of facial recognition technology and preventative action, criminal behaviour orders to restrict their movements, before they can even board a train. In just the same way that we do with football hooligans."
The Prime Minister also added warned large social media companies that “violent disorder clearly whipped up online is also a crime and it is happening on your premises".
Sir Keir said: "Let me also say to large social media companies and those who run them: violent disorder, clearly whipped up online, that is also a crime, it’s happening on your premises, and the law must be upheld everywhere.
“That is the single most important duty of government, service rests on security. We will take all necessary action to keep our streets safe.”
Government has “already made a commitment to increasing police numbers”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the Government has “already made a commitment to increasing police numbers” after he was asked if his announcement would result in an increase in the number of officers on the streets.
Sir Keir said: “We’ve already made a commitment to increasing police numbers. That’s a commitment we made into the general election, and particularly police officers to work in neighbourhood policing.
“That did come up in the meeting today in terms of the capability that’s needed, but, look, to be frank, what happens in the next few weeks matters, and that isn’t a question on its own of recruitment, which takes longer.
"It is a question of co-ordinating the response, making sure the capability that we’ve got to share intelligence, shared data, have a co-ordinated response, and to act as quickly as possible in cases so that arrests are followed swiftly by charging.”
Asked if he will be providing extra police resources in a "clampdown on the far-right groups that are being blamed” for the riots and knife attack, the Prime Minister added: “In relation to the violence that we’ve seen, the whole point on pulling together the meeting today was to have a co-ordinated response.
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“The clear message from police and law enforcement is not that they need more powers.
"I think we have to wean ourselves off the idea that the only response is to pass more legislation every time we have a challenge in front of us.
"(We need) to use the existing powers that we’ve got, pulling together the intelligence, the data, making sure that that is being shared across police forces, and that as these groups sort of bounce from chief constable to chief constable around the country, we have the same robust response to them, and that we’re clear that this is violent disorder.
"It’s not protest, and that needs to be the starting position of the police in response to it.”
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