I acknowledge your concerns about the rise in knife crime and I would like to give you some information about the Labour Government’s action on this.

Most recent figures show that people prosecuted for carrying a knife are now almost three times as likely to go to prison as some ten years ago [6 percent in 1996, 17 percent in 2006], and that average sentence has increased by almost a third over the same period.

You told me in your letter that you are concerned that there is no deterrent for carrying knives. I am pleased to be able to tell you that on 5 June 2008, new initiatives were announced by Prime Minister Brown including:

• Doubling the maximum sentence for carrying a knife to 4 years
• A new national £3m advertising campaign designed by young people themselves to challenge the fear, glamour or peer pressure that can drive young people to knife crime
• Increasing the use of stop and search over the last year
• New proposals to provide early assurance of anonymity to witnesses, and support through the process of giving evidence safely.

Attorney General Baroness Scotland spoke in support of the initiatives that show how seriously the Government takes knife crime. Attorney General believes that these measures bring into sharper focus for prosecutors the public interest factors supporting the prosecution of knife crime. The message to offenders is plain - if you are over 16 and in possession of a knife you can expect to be prosecuted.