Clive Lewis For Norwich South
Friday 29 June 2018
Adelaide Street shooting: my comments in Norwich Evening News
Here’s what I said in reaction to the Adelaide Street shooting when I was asked by the Evening News.
“Norwich South MP Clive Lewis has said the suburban shooting shows a recent rise in serious violence is “not just confined to large cities”.
Mr Lewis said he was “deeply concerned” about the shooting, adding recent crime figures show “Norfolk has experienced the largest four-year surge in knife and gun crime anywhere in the country.”
“These shocking figures combined with the surge in the number of criminal gangs moving drugs dealing operations to Norwich show that the nationwide rise in serious violence is not just confined to large cities,” he said.
He added some of the rise in violent crime was the result of “ruinous cuts to policing”.
“£30m has been taken from Norfolk Constabulary budget since 2010 and another £10m of cuts is being demanded by 2020,” he said.
“But it’s not just police cuts that are fuelling the rise in violent crime. Leaked Home Office research states that, like other types of crime and antisocial behaviour, violent crime has a clear link to poor life outcomes such as low educational attainment and poor health.
“The leaked research also makes a clear connection between illegal drug markets and violent crime and in particular the rise in the use of crack cocaine.”
He added ways to arrest the rise in violent crime include recruiting 10,000 more police officers to reverse “cuts in staff” since 2010, and reversing cuts to schools and health to “increase positive life outcomes and tackle the causes of crime”.”