The mum of a teenage boy stabbed to death appears in Labour’s latest Party Political Broadcast highlight the cost of soaring violent crime across the UK.
Collet Hunter’s son James Hunter was murdered in in 2014 in Sydenham when he was just 18-years-old.
He was defending his friends in a fight when he was stabbed through the heart.
Appearing in Labour’s Party Political Broadcast his mum Collet tells her heartbreaking story and questions the lack of resources to support at risk people.
She says: “Where is the safety mechanism for these young people?
(Image: Official Jeremy Corbyn Channel /Youtube)
(Image: Official Jeremy Corbyn Channel /Youtube)
“Where is the source for them to speak to someone to prevent them from committing such acts?
Since 2011 police funding has been cut by 30% and spending on youth services has fallen by £880million Labour have claimed.
The video is part of the party’s local election campaign ahead of people going to the polls on May 2nd.
Alongside Collet, ex-Policeman Mike Hunter warns about how cuts in policing have damaged communities in Chippenham.
Mr Hunter said: “One of the police’s key roles is reducing crime and just doing enforcement doesn’t get that.
“They have to get into schools, into youth centres.”
(Image: Official Jeremy Corbyn Channel /Youtube)
Standing outside a closed police station he explains how a major incident centre he used to work from is closed.
He adds: “The Conservatives reduced the amount of money spent on policing – that led to police stations like this one closing down.”
Pensioner Andrew Harley from Glochester admits that rising crime levels have left him “scared to go out” after dark.
Mr Harley was punched a dozen times while driving his electric chair to the local shops.
(Image: Official Jeremy Corbyn Channel /Youtube)
“Everything is going downhill very fast, and I know their is far worse than the incident that happened to me.
It comes as anti-knife campaigners shut down Westminster Bridge in London in protest at the government’s response to violent crime
Campaigners from OperationShutdown are demanding urgent action to tackle a “national emergency” in violent crime.
Marchers gathered in Whitehall to call for a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee to tackle the recent surge in violent crime.
