Batley & Spen MP Tracy Brabin says we have reached 'crossroads' of violent crime in letter responding to Bradley Gledhill killing

We have reached "a crossroads" when it comes to the "contagious disease" of violent crime, an MP has said.

Batley & Spen MP Tracy Brabin has written an open letter to constituents following the death of 20-year-old Bradley Gledhill at the weekend, saying his murder must be "the catalyst for change in our community".

Mr Gledhill was stabbed after a fight broke out on Sunday night, West Yorkshire Police said. Three people have been charged with murder and attempted murder of two other men in connection the incident.

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Ms Brabin has now called for everyone to be proactive in not just tackling the plague of knife crime, but preventing it.

Figures from last year revealed West Yorkshire hadthe highest rate of knife crime outside the Metropolitan Police force areaFigures from last year revealed West Yorkshire hadthe highest rate of knife crime outside the Metropolitan Police force area
Figures from last year revealed West Yorkshire hadthe highest rate of knife crime outside the Metropolitan Police force area

In the letter published last night, the Labour MP writes: "We have reached a crossroads when it comes to violent crime. Whilst recent government efforts have understandably been consumed by the Covid-19 pandemic, we must not allow the epidemic of knife crime and youth violence to continue to spread as it has."

She added: "Whilst there is no simple solution to the problem of knife crime, we do not have to accept it as an inevitable fact of life. We know about the root causes of violence, and how these have been exacerbated by ten years of Government austerity, including significant cuts to police, school and local authority budgets.

"However, we also know that a better future is possible. To get there, we must tackle violence just as we have tackled coronavirus – by treating it as a contagious disease which can only be contained and defeated if we work, all of us, together."

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Tanisha Bramwell, who is a youth support worker in the area and led calls for Ms Brabin to take action following Mr Gledhill's death, responded by saying acknodlegement of the issue was not enough.

MP Tracy Brabin has responded to the death of constituent Bradley GledhillMP Tracy Brabin has responded to the death of constituent Bradley Gledhill
MP Tracy Brabin has responded to the death of constituent Bradley Gledhill

The 25-year-old has since set up a campaign to tackle knife crime in the Kirklees district.

She said: "I'm really happy [Tracy] has spoken up, but as for the 'crossroads', it is her job to break down those barriers. Residents are being told again and again that 'there is only so much' that leaders can do and it is not good enough when people's lives are at stake."

Ms Brabin has said she will be working with local policing teams, councillors and youth organisations over the summer, adding that she would continue to hold the Government to account and demand "a serious, long-term strategy on youth and violent crime".

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Figures from last year revealed West Yorkshire had the highest rate of knife crime outside the Metropolitan Police force area with 10 crimes per 10,000 people in 2017 to 2018.

Bradley Gledhill, 20, died after a fight broke out in a street in Batley on Sunday night, West Yorkshire Police said. Three people have been charged with murder.Bradley Gledhill, 20, died after a fight broke out in a street in Batley on Sunday night, West Yorkshire Police said. Three people have been charged with murder.
Bradley Gledhill, 20, died after a fight broke out in a street in Batley on Sunday night, West Yorkshire Police said. Three people have been charged with murder.

The launch of the force's Operation Jemlock however has seen this figure fall, with a 27 per cent fall in rates of knife crime in the Kirklees District in the 12 months leading up to May this year.

The passing of the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 also introduced new knife crime prevention orders (KCPOs) giving authorities powers to impose sanctions on people most at risk of knife crime, such as bans on using social media and from visiting certain areas.

Despite this, long term trends show that offences involving knives and blades in the county have roughly doubled from 2011, when there were 1,316, to 2,674 between 2018 and 2019, as Ms Brabin references in her letter.

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A spokesman for the Home Office said: “Police forces in Yorkshire and the Humber will be recruiting more than 500 additional officers in this year alone, as part of the Government’s plan to get 20,000 additional police officers on our streets.

"Whilst there is no simple solution to the problem of knife crime, we do not have to accept it as an inevitable fact of life", Ms Brabin has said. Picture: Adobe"Whilst there is no simple solution to the problem of knife crime, we do not have to accept it as an inevitable fact of life", Ms Brabin has said. Picture: Adobe
"Whilst there is no simple solution to the problem of knife crime, we do not have to accept it as an inevitable fact of life", Ms Brabin has said. Picture: Adobe

“The Government has also recently provided the biggest increase in funding for the police in over a decade. Cutting serious violence is a priority for the people of Yorkshire and therefore a priority for the Home Secretary.”