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    ‘We can’t tackle knife crime on our own’, police chief admits as criminals sell weapons on social media

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    For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsA police chief has admitted officers cannot solve knife crime alone as criminals turn to social media to peddle weapons despite a clampdown on sales.The national lead for policing knife crime Commander Stephen Clayman said officers are tackling the “symptoms” but they do not have the “cure” for an epidemic of offences.His comments came as the Home Office announced a £4m funding boost, including investment in new knife detection technology, ahead of a week of police action.In a candid admission, Commander Clayman said: “Like all emergency services, we are dealing with the symptoms but, while the cure is something we are involved in, we are clearly not going to be the ones that ultimately solve this. Because it’s going to be a joint effort through us, policing partners, government.”Have you been affected by knife crime? Email amy-clare.martin@independent.co.ukCommander Clayman said tackling knife crime will be a long-term project requiring “generational change” which needs to be evidence-led, addressing complex societal issues including deprivation and lack of opportunity.Official figures show that knife crime rose by 7 per cent in the year to December 2023 with 49,489 offences recorded, but it has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. In London, the number of offences soared by 22 per cent with more than 14,000 recorded in the year to September 2023.Separate figures show eight in 10 teenage homicide victims were killed with a knife in the year to March 2023, compared to seven in 10 in the previous year.Elianne Andam was stabbed to death on her way to school last year More

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      Five Rwandan genocide suspects living freely in Britain 30 years after massacre

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      For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsRwandan genocide suspects are still living freely in Britain, 30 years after the massacre which killed 800,000 people, amid “inexplicable” delays to a UK police probe into the allegations. MPs and the Rwandan authorities have called on the Metropolitan Police – which launched an investigation six years ago – to hurry up and decide whether they can bring a case against the five men, who settled in the UK in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide.The five suspects, who have lived in the UK for decades, deny any involvement with the atrocities and have never faced trial to answer horrific allegations. One of the men is accused of helping to lead attacks in a village where 40,000 Tutsis were said to have died.British High Court judges have so far refused Rwanda’s extradition pleas over fears the men would not face a fair trial in their home country.But officials in Kigali have called for a trial in the UK instead, with Britain accused of “lagging behind” other nations in ensuring those suspected answer to allegations. France and Belgium are among the countries that have already held trials for a number of accused.Campaigners and politicians have now urged the government to ensure “justice is done”, amid fears time is running out for the suspects to answer to the allegations, and as the country marks the 30th anniversary of the start of the Genocide Against the Tutsi, which took place between 7 April and 15 July 1994.It comes as Rishi Sunak battles to push through his controversial Rwanda deportation plan, which, if passed, would see asylum seekers who arrive illegally in the UK sent to the east African country. They are currently not allowed to be sent there as Rwanda is not seen as safe.Reporter Amy-Clare Martin approaches suspect Celestin Mutabaruka in 2019 More

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      Police investigating suspected arson attack at Tory MP’s office on Christmas Eve

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      For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsPolice are investigating a suspected arson attack at the office of a Conservative MP.Officers were called to a fire at the north London constituency office of Mike Freer at about 7pm on Christmas Eve, with the London Fire Brigade also on the scene. The Met said the fire happened in a shed at the MP’s office at Ballards Lane in Finchley.The Finchley and Golders Green MP has represented the constituency since 2010 and is parliamentary under-secretary at the Ministry of Justice.Mr Freer said the rear of the building is damaged. He said the response from police and the fire brigade was excellent and that they were on site in minutes.“The police are still investigating and checking out CCTV footage. Until the suspects are caught we won’t know the motivation. Luckily no-one was in the office at the time,” he added.In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said that there were no reports of any injuries.“The cause of the fire is under investigation as it is believed it may have been started deliberately. “Further inquiries will take place,” a Met spokesman said. More

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      ‘Knifeman’ tasered and arrested by armed police near Parliament

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      For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails A suspected knifeman has been tasered and arrested by armed police after “behaving erractically” near Parliament. Footage shared online showed at least six police officers surrounding the man […] More

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      No intention to create specific anti-spiking strategy, government says

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      The government has “no intention” of putting forward a specific national strategy to tackle spiking, it has revealed. Ministers have turned down the recommendation by MPs who carried out an inquiry into the crime. The Home Affairs parliamentary committee had urged the government to look at the efficacy of different anti-spiking initiatives and come up with a national strategy that “promotes best practice”. The government rejected the idea as it published its response into the inquiry on Monday. It said a report on spiking, including reviews into anti-spiking initiatives and case studies of best practice, is due next spring and will ensure the government is “taking the best possible action” to tackle the crime. “There is currently no intention to publish a specific spiking strategy,” the government’s response said.It added: “But it is the government’s intention that the statutory report will highlight this best practice and provide avenues for organisations to communicate and share tips and strategies.” The Home Affairs committee launched an inquiry into drink and injection spiking last year following a wave of reports involving needles and nightclub boycotts calling for tougher action to stamp out the crime.It found a “victim-blaming culture” could be leading to missed opportunities to collect vital evidence and offenders were facing “few deterrents”, with low prosecution rates and victims coming across barriers to reporting. In March The Independent revealed fewer than 2 per cent of cases reported to police resulted in a charge in nearly five years. The select committee put forward its series of recommendations to help tackle spiking in April, including a national communications campaign setting out punishments and encouraging victims to report cases. The government’s response said it was already working on this communications campaign and was looking at sharing messages around the start of the university year, when there was a surge in reports of needle spiking in 2021. It said it was also looking at boosting communications over how suspected spiking victims or those around them should act, which could include outreach across the education and private sector. But the government rejected a recommendation for the compulsory safeguarding training of festival staff. Instead, it would update guidance to say adequate training should be considered in licensing decisions. Dawn Dines from campaign group Stamp Out Spiking said: “We are delighted to hear that government are taking training of staff seriously and we are proactively working towards helping licensing authorities get festivals, bars and clubs trained up.” She also welcomed the government taking action to review reporting data. “More crime reporting data is vital to help identify where these crimes are taking place and who is being targeted,” she said. The government said it was considering options for research on the motivations of perpetrators, which was a committee recommendation. “The government agrees with the committee’s assessment that the motivations of spiking offenders remain unclear, particularly around the newly identified incidences of needle spiking, and that the lack of understanding limits our ability to effectively tackle spiking through targeted interventions,” a spokesperson said. The Home Affairs committee said the government had welcomed most of its recommendations on spiking. More