The rise in violent crime is a national scandal, and the consequences of a failure to reverse this worrying trend are too appalling to contemplate. Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, has denied that the police have lost control of the streets, but the spate of stabbings and shootings in London in recent weeks does not paint a reassuring picture for the law-abiding majority.

Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary is promising “real action to end this devastating cycle of violence”. New laws to restrict access to offensive weapons are common sense. Ms Rudd’s clarity about the Government’s support for the use of stop and search is also important, especially as senior police chiefs have...