A MOTHER whose son was murdered has said "shocking Government cuts" are to blame for the rise in knife crime, as she made a fresh call for longer and tougher sentences.

Chris Cave was stabbed to death in Redcar in June 2003, and since then, his mother, Theresa, has fought tirelessly alongside her other son Tom to deter young people from carrying a knife or a gun or committing violent crime.

Last week, Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced he was giving police in England and Wales greater stop and search powers to tackle rising knife crime, after fatal stabbings rose to 285 in 2017-18, the most ever since records began 70 years ago.

There have been more than 40 fatal stabbings in the UK this year, including at least 23 in London.

Mrs Cave said: "It is an epidemic, firstly we have the five to ten year olds who need the early intervention with education, then we have those branching out into it (carrying a knife) who need the education, the workshops, the support of parents and youth organisations and people like me to hear it as it is.

The Northern Echo:

"Sadly then we get the ones out in the thick of it, the repeat offenders who know a slap on the wrist is the punishment. We need stronger sentences to be done in full, examples made to show the rest that they too will go to jail, no out on tag, no slaps on wrists and no rewards (for good behaviour)."

In November 2003, Sean Matson was jailed for life for murdering Chris, who was 17.

Following his death, Mrs Cave set up The Chris Cave Foundation, which aims to raise money for projects around the country in efforts to help ‘kill violence on the streets’.

The charity has spoken to thousands of children and helped hundreds of families who have suffered as a result of knife or gun violence, and Mrs Cave recently visited Acklam Grange School in Middlesbrough to speak to students.

"The government are to blame the shocking cuts to youth clubs and activities for young people that kept them off street corners. Give them back a reason to get up on a morning, give them a lifeline, somewhere to go and occupy their minds," she said.

"They have nothing and no one believes in them and sadly that includes many parents who also need to take on the responsibility for their child's actions and show them the guidance they need."

"We've changed so many lives across the country. I would give the world not to be doing this and have Chris here because everything would be so much different for everyone but it is how it is and all we can do is keep his memory alive in as many young people's hearts as we can."

The Northern Echo:

Barry Coppinger, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, said: “I echo Theresa in calling for more government funding to tackle knife crime. Earlier this year the government pledged additional funding for the seven policing areas with the highest levels of knife crime – what about the 36 other forces?

“Instead of bureaucratic processes for police forces to apply for additional funding, the government should directly allocate more money in their grant settlements.

“In Cleveland we are striving to engage with young people at risk of being involved in violent crime at the earliest opportunity. That’s why I have funded three School Liaison Officers and four Early Intervention Officers, to provide early support and intervention at a time when many young people are making important decisions in their lives.

“The additional £500,000 my office was awarded from the government’s Early Intervention Youth Fund will go some way in tackling serious violence through targeted outreach in hotspot areas, but it’s time the government took this issue seriously and gave police forces the resources they need to reduce knife crime further.”

Cleveland Police Local Policing Supt Wendy Tinkler added: “In the past year we have seen a 10 per cent reduction in reported knife crime incidents in Cleveland however we recognise that we need to do more to tackle this serious violent crime.

"Our objective is to keep people safe and protect our communities so obviously we would welcome more funding for us to achieve this aim."