A leading Faversham councillor and criminal barrister has called for changes to the law to tackle knife crime.

MEP Antony Hook says “enough is enough” following a brutal attack on a London police officer two weeks ago.

The Lib Dem councillor says the sheer scale of assaults and robberies involving knives in the UK makes the problem comparable to to gun crime in the US.

“Enough is enough, we need changes to our laws to stop violent knife crime,” Faversham’s Kent County Councillor said.

“How many more people need to be attacked with knives for our laws to change?

“The government has, at long last, promised more police officers. Officers on the beat will help but is far from all we can do to arrest rising knife crime or the other growing security threats to our country.”

Last year, Olive Ripley, of Lion Field, Faversham, was jailed after she stabbed her ex-husband twice in Norton and drove him around in her car for an hour as he bled profusely, rather than taking him to hospital.

Meanwhile, Lucille Willett, of no fixed address, is accused of threatening a security guard with a knife before stealing bottles of alcohol from Morrisons off North Lane in June. She will stand trial in December.

Cllr Hook added: “Recent knife crimes in the local area only serve to highlight the urgent need to tackle the menace of lethal blades on our streets.

“Like America’s guns, our knife problem is made worse by gaps in legislation. Zombie, combat, and hunting knives, machetes, and samurai swords are all legal in the UK at home or in another private place.”

Cllr Hook says legislation must be reformed to resolve the issue.

“Before being an MEP, as a barrister I prosecuted my fair share of knife crimes,” he said. “Many are carried out with domestic knives shoplifted shortly before the incident.

“If you carry it all day you run the risk that you might be stopped and searched by the police. Many gang members steal a knife shortly before they intend to use it.

“We must reform legislation and work with our European neighbours or suffer more violent crime.”

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