Chris Huhne

Posturing on knife sentences is pointless

Commenting on today’s report by London’s Pentonville Prison that the threat of longer jail terms is not deterring teenagers from carrying knives, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

“This shows just how pointless the political posturing on knife sentences is.

“Teenage knife carriers know there is a huge chasm between the Government’s tough rhetoric on penalties and what actually happens in practice.

“David Cameron’s only contribution has been to try and exploit the politics of fear by becoming embroiled in a sentencing arms race with ministers.

“Increasing the likelihood of being caught, through intelligence-led stop and search and hot-spot policing, is far more likely to deter would-be knife criminals.”