HOSPITALS will have a legal duty to flag concerns about young patients at risk of knife crime in a nationwide blitz.
Theresa May and Sajid Javid will today team up to launch a new multi-agency crackdown to finally tackle the bloodshed on Britain’s streets.
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And under the code, doctors will be forced to report youngsters presenting at Accident & Emergency with a suspicious injury — so it can be linked to “worrying behaviour” at schools or issues at home.
A source said: “It won’t be enough for kids to come in and say they’ve hurt themselves in the kitchen — and all the information will go into a central pot.”
As The Sun exclusively revealed on Saturday, the programme mirrors the Home Office “Prevent” campaign drawn up to stop youngsters being sucked into extremism.
The PM and half of her Cabinet will chair a series of meetings today and this week as part of a new push to get to grips with the crisis.
Mrs May will also chair a summit alongside experts such as Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield, Met chief Cressida
Dick and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. And she will meet privately with the families of victims of knife crime.
Jodie Chesney, 17, was one of many recent innocent victims after being stabbed to death in Romford, East London.
In a statement last night, Mrs May said: “To protect young people from the tragic violence we have seen on our streets, we need to work across society to intervene early and stop them from being drawn into crime.
“Strong law enforcement plays an important role and the police will continue to have our support on the front line.
“But we all need to look at what we can do in our communities, and in every part of the system to safeguard young people.”
The new public health duty coincides with a Stop and Search blitz in seven regions of the UK.
Home Secretary Mr Javid said: “I’m committed to ending this scourge and will use all the tools at my disposal to do so.”
