THE Prime Minister has been shown a collection of knives seized by officers as he visited a police station in Essex.
Rishi Sunak was shown a series of more than half a dozen blades on a visit to Harlow police station, including a zombie knife and a machete.
He later went outside into the yard and was shown a Toyota Corolla hybrid marked car that the force is using.
His visit followed an announcement that every police force in England and Wales is being handed a share of £66 million to ramp up patrols in areas plagued by antisocial behaviour.
The Government funding is expected to allow each of the 43 forces to launch uniformed patrols for up to an estimated 20,000 hours a year in so-called “hotspot” areas where there are high levels of violence and disorder.
The nationwide rollout of the plan comes after successful trials in counties including Essex and Lancashire.
Mr Sunak, speaking to broadcasters at Harlow police station, said: “Antisocial behaviour is a scourge on communities, which is why last year we set out a comprehensive antisocial behaviour action plan.
“I’ve been here in Essex talking to the police about that plan and how it’s working and the good news is that it is working and making a real difference.
“Through the increased use of hotspot policing, drug testing on arrest, dispersal powers, on-the-spot fines, we’ve seen antisocial behaviour fall by up to 50% in the areas where we’ve trialled this new plan.
“That’s why we’re now going to roll it out across the country with more funding so that everyone can benefit from these improvements and it just shows that if we stick to the plan we can deliver a brighter future for everyone.”
Speaking to broadcasters on the a visit to the police station, the PM also insisted the circumstances surrounding the Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections were “particularly challenging” after suffering a double defeat that Sir Keir Starmer said showed people were “crying out for change”.
The Prime Minister said “midterm elections are always difficult” for incumbent governments after Labour flipped Tory majorities in the tens of thousands overnight.
The results mean the Conservative Government has endured more by-election losses than any administration since the 1960s, surpassing the eight defeats suffered by John Major in the run-up to Sir Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide victory.
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