UK Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott accused the UK government on Thursday of refusing to acknowledge that its budget cuts to police had led to an increase in national crime rates.
“Once again, these are deeply troubling crime figures under this government. Members of the public and police officers are both increasingly concerned about the growth of serious crime including knife crime. But Ministers are in denial, refusing to accept that their cuts to police forces have had any impact either on crime levels or the ability to apprehend the criminals,” Abbott said in a statement, published on the UK Labour Party’s website.