Thousands of repeat knife offenders were spared prison last year despite the Tory ‘two strikes and you’re out’ pledge.
Adults caught with a blade for the second time are supposed to be jailed for at least six months under new laws.
But latest figures show that one in 10 people with a previous conviction for knife possession received a sentence other than immediate custody.
Adults caught with a blade for the second time are supposed to be jailed for at least six months under new laws (file photo)
In 2017, a total of 2,106 repeat offenders did not go to jail.
Ian Austin, Labour MP for Dudley North, said: ‘The Tories are letting down victims of knife crime by making promises they cannot keep.
‘Thousands of repeat offenders are walking free from court as knife crime surges across the country. Yet all this Conservative government has to offer is warm words and empty promises.’
The new law was introduced in 2015 – but despite this the numbers avoiding jail have increased.
In 2015, a total of 1,998 repeat offenders did not go to prison – a figure which dropped slightly to 1,891 in 2016.
Between 2016 and 2017, the total increased by 11.4 per cent to 2,106.
Ian Austin, Labour MP for Dudley North, said: ‘The Tories are letting down victims of knife crime by making promises they cannot keep’
This increase was higher than the 7.1 per cent increase in the number of repeat knife offenders to 19,158.
Under the ‘two strikes’ system, minimum sentences were introduced for those aged 16 and over who are convicted of a second or subsequent offence of possession of a knife or offensive weapon.
The punishments are at least six months imprisonment for adults, while young offenders face a minimum four-month detention and training order.
Judges must impose the minimum sentence unless there are particular circumstances relating to the latest offence, the previous offence, or the offender, which would ‘make it unjust to do so in all the circumstances’.
The ‘two strikes’ measure was introduced by Conservative backbenchers as an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Act when it was passing through Parliament in 2014.
Earlier this week Home Secretary Amber Rudd claimed the ‘two strikes and you’re out’ policy had been a success
The change led to friction within the former Coalition government, with Nick Clegg, the then deputy prime minister, describing them as ‘headline-grabbing solutions’ that would not work in practice.
Earlier this week Home Secretary Amber Rudd claimed the ‘two strikes and you’re out’ policy had been a success.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘When people are arrested for carrying knives, now they have a custodial sentence after only carrying it twice..’
As part of the Serious Violence Strategy, published this week, the Home Office has promised new legislation which ‘will include a minimum custodial sentence for those convicted of a second or subsequent offence of possession of a corrosive substance in a public place.’
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: ‘Knife crime ruins lives and devastates communities – those who carry blades should feel the full force of the law.
‘Repeat adult offenders convicted of knife crime are more likely than ever to go to prison, helping protect the public and keep communities safe.
‘Sentencing is a matter for independent judges, who take into account the full facts of each case.’