Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, has welcomed the announcement of the launch of Serious Violence Reduction Order to crack down on crime across Sussex including Wealden.
Serious Violence Reduction Order (SVRO) is a new civil order that can be issued to convicted offenders by the court and will give police officers the power to stop and search a person, subject to an order, to look for knives or offensive weapons.
Currently too many criminals who carry knives and weapons go on to offend time and again. The SVRO pilot is being introduced to deter offenders from carrying a weapon and end the cycle.
The two-tear pilot will be launched in April 2023 and include four police forces: Sussex, Thames Valley, Merseyside and West Midlands.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Every knife crime is a tragedy, and any victim is one too many. I am pleased that the Government is committed to cutting crime and making our streets safer by giving the police more powers and resources to go after criminals and I welcome the announcement that Sussex Police will be included in the Serious Violence Reduction Order pilot from April, protecting communities in Wealden and across the county from serious violence.”
Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “Sussex Police are helping to lead the way in tackling serious violence and knife crime by taking part in this ground-breaking pilot. By targeting habitual knife carriers in an intelligence-led and consistent way officers will be sending out a clear message that this dangerous and reckless behaviour will not be tolerated. Following weeks of high profile success on our roads by the new Sussex Enforcement Units, the deployment of SVROs is another clear demonstration of Sussex Police cracking down on serious violence to make our streets even safer.”
