Two Conservative manifesto pledges caught my attention today because I think they will help us to tackle violent crime and strengthen partnership prevention work.

1. Police will be empowered to target known knife carriers with a new court order, making it easier for officers to stop and search those known in the past to have carried weapons.

Stop and search is an important tool in preventing violent crime. These new powers will help to deal with repeat offenders and those stuck in a cycle of carrying weapons. 

2. Violence reduction units - multi-agency teams made up of the police, social services and other agencies – will be boosted by £35 million next year to champion preventative work and stop violence from happening in the first place.

These new partnerships, which build on successful joint working in Glasgow since 2005, have been well supported by Police & Crime Commissioners across the country and have led to effective prevention work in schools and across communities. Pooling police experience with expertise in other organisation such as local authorities, youth charities and health services in these violence reduction units is a proven way to identify people who are at risk and use those with the most appropriate skills to intervene.