On Friday 27th October I visited Weston Favell Police Station in Northampton and had a meeting with Inspector Rodney Williams to discuss crime in my constituency and the measures taken to tackle it.
Inspector Williams has been with Northamptonshire Police for over 25 years and is the sector commander for police operations in an area that covers most of my constituency of Northampton North.
During our meeting we discussed the prevalence of knife crime and a number of incidents that have occurred in the local area, as well as crime-prevention measures. This includes expanding upon community policing measures and growing cooperation with the local community and early-years intervention working alongside schools.
Crimes committed with a knife have thankfully been on the decline nationwide, but it is very important that police are able to operate effectively and utilise stop and search powers towards those suspected of carrying an offensive weapon.
Having previously served as a criminal barrister for 17 years and having previously served in Law Officer Ministerial positions in Government, I have always found meeting people in organisations with frontline experience to be particularly valuable as a means of determining what problems need to be addressed and what is going right. My productive meeting with Inspector Williams was certainly no exception, and we will continue to regularly liaise with those at Northamptonshire Police in order to keep our neighbourhoods safe.
(Photo: Sir Michael Ellis MP with Inspector Rodney Williams of Northamptonshire Police, at Weston Favell Police Station)
