Streatham's Liberal Democrats achieve success in the Anti-Knife Crime scheme

6.24.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 1st May 2009

Chris Nicholson and the Liberal Democrat team in Streatham achieved a significant success in the fight against knife crime this week. They have been campaigning in the area to have a new scheme put into practice. The scheme, known as the "Cardiff Model", facilitates the sharing of information from the Accident and Emergency wards with the police. The Cardiff model has helped reduce knife crime by up to 40% in some areas.

Chris Nicholson, the local Lib Dem Parliamentary spokesperson, has been writing to hospitals to ask that the anti-knife crime scheme be implemented immediately. In response David Astley, the Chief Executive of St. George's Hospital in Tooting, has expressed his support in backing the new anti-knife crime scheme.

Chris commented: "Sadly, the fatal knife attack that took place this week, leaving one teenager dead and another wounded, shows us how important it is to act against knife crime. Earlier this week I was talking to 10 and 11 year olds at a local school where this was raised time and again as their biggest concern. Of course this scheme alone won't stop knife crime but evidence from elsewhere does show that it helps significantly. Hospital and emergency units and the police must work closer together to identify knife crime blackspots. "

Other hospitals in our area such as Mayday Hospital in Croydon, are looking into the scheme following pressure from local Lib Dems.