Lynne Featherstone

Labour are dithering over how to tackle the growing culture of knife crime, say Haringey's Lib Dems.Expensive metal-detecting arches purchased by the police have lain unused for more than a year. The discovery comes quickly on the heels of Labour's national u-turn on knife crime sentencing.

Lib Dem Police and Community Safety Spokesperson Councillor Ron Aitken expressed concern over the rising level of knife crime in the borough as early as June last year, highlighted by several high-profile attacks in Muswell Hill, Ida Road and Seven Sisters.

Councillor Aitken requested a meeting with both Haringey Police and Haringey Council's lead member on crime, Nilgun Canver. While the police responded, the Labour Executive Member was not willing to commit to specific measures to address the issue.

The police have purchased metal-detecting arches in a bid to dissuade people from carrying knives. "Labour have refused to say whether they believe a trial of metal detecting arches in schools should go ahead," comments Cllr Aitken. "There should instead have been a public discussion of the issues involved before the expenditure of public funds."

Councillor Aitken adds: "While Labour are dithering, the Lib Dems have proposed real measures to combat knife crime. Nationally, we want the maximum sentence for carrying a knife to match that for carrying a gun - a policy Labour rejected. At the local level, we are committed to working with the borough's police to make real progress."