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UK Labour Party Blames Conservatives for Surge in Violent Crime

© Sputnik / Alex McNaughton / Go to the mediabankPolice officers cordon off the territory near the UK Parliament in London where an assailant attacked a police officer and pedestrians.
Police officers cordon off the territory near the UK Parliament in London where an assailant attacked a police officer and pedestrians. - Sputnik International
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Louise Haigh, the shadow policing minister of the UK Labour Party, on Thursday made a significant criticism of the Conservative Party for its failure to protect the public amid the increase in knife and gun crime in England and Wales.

"The Tories have created the conditions for crime, including serious violent crime, to thrive. The Home Secretary [Amber Rudd] has comprehensively failed to protect the public. Whether it’s Windrush citizens [long term commonwealth-born UK residents] or victims of violent crime, the Home Secretary has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the evidence staring her in the face," Haigh said in a published statement.

She slammed the government for the shrinking of police forces in the country, with about 21,000 fewer officers than there were in 2010.

READ MORE: UK Policy 'Carries Scar That Created Suspect, Muslim Community' — Expert

The statement was made in wake of the UK Office for National Statistics' (ONS) bulletin on crime against households and adults in the two nations in 2017 published earlier in the day, pointing out a 22-percent increase in offenses involving knives or other sharp instruments as well as an 11-percent increase in firearms crime.

READ MORE: UK Violent Crime Surge Continues as 60 Killed in London So Far This Year

In April, Rudd rejected claims that falling police numbers were not to blame for the rise in violent crime, arguing that there were "enough police" to tackle the problem. On April 9, the UK government published a new crime prevention strategy, which in particular blamed illicit drug markets for the increase in violent crimes in England and Wales.

READ MORE: Shocking Statistic: Crime Involving a Machete Occurs Every 90 Minutes in the UK

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