Boris Johnson has defended plans to expand stop and search powers for police forces as he claims the policy is a “kind and loving” way to deal with the issue of knife crime.
The human rights organisation Liberty has warned that new proposals to clamp down on crime, which include the removal of limits on stop and search, will “compound discrimination in Britain and divide communities”.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has criticised the prime minister’s pledge to give crime victims a named officer to contact about their case as a “ridiculous gimmick”.
It came as the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation said that officers had been left feeling angry, demoralised and let down by the government’s decision to freeze their pay.
“We can't keep going on like this... this is the beginning of a campaign where we should be getting across to the public how poorly we're treated,” Ken Marsh told reporters on Tuesday.
