Rhetoric on knife crime must be matched

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 11th Aug 2008

Commenting on today's Metropolitan Police figures showing a reduction in the number of people charged for carrying a knife, Chris Huhne said:

"These figures highlight the difference between the Government's tough rhetoric and what actually happens in practice.

"No amount of posturing on penalties from Labour or the Tories will be as effective in stopping knife crime as catching the knife carriers.

"All the evidence shows that people will be less likely to carry knives if they think they will be caught, and if they see a visible police presence on the streets. The key to this is more intelligence led stop and search and better hot-spot policing."