KNIFE crime and violence would be tackled under a Labour government by increasing the number of police officers in 18 violence-reduction units (VRUs), the party is pledging today.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon will announce Labour’s plan at an event with anti-knife crime campaigners in Hackney, east London.

Ahead of next month’s general election, the party is vowing to expand each VRU to have an average of 20 more officers.

The units would be based in areas with the highest rates of gang-related violence. According to the BBC, London has 16 of the 25 areas in England and Wales with the most knife crime.

The VRU scheme is modelled on one in Glasgow which treats such crimes as public health issues and has been praised for reducing knife crime and violence by 40 per cent over the last 10 years, with murders in the city at their lowest level since 1976.

Ms Abbott said: “You can’t have safety and security on the cheap and you can’t believe a word that Boris Johnson says on policing.

“Labour will fully resource our police forces after Tory cuts and our focus on violence-reduction units will make a public-health approach to tackling crime a reality.”

Labour is also promising investment to tackle reoffending rates, with pilot innovations to be supported by a £20m annual Justice Innovation Fund.

Re-offending costs are estimated at £18 billion per year with re-offending rates at 65 per cent for those released following a short prison sentence.