A former police officer has been left fuming and demanded a "wake-up call" in "taking knife crime seriously" after the attacks that took place in Southport earlier today.
This comes after two children have died and nine have been injured, six of whom are in critical condition, following today's stabbings at a Taylor Swift-themed yoga class.
A 17-year-old boy from Banks in Lancashire remains in police custody following the stabbings - but the incident is not being treated as terror-related.
Speaking to GB News former police officer Norman Brennan urged the Labour government and the criminal justice system to immediately "address" the knife crime "epidemic."
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy confirmed the deathsPAHe said: "We need to start taking knife crime seriously. I don't know whether today is the right time to say that it would it have saved these young girls from being seriously injured in the way that others that have been.
"But until this government take knife crime seriously and the criminal justice system seriously, all this business about banning machetes, only 24 out of all the hundreds of murders were by machetes.
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"Banning them will not stop children and young men from carrying knives that they can pick up from their kitchen drawers and going out and stabbing someone.
"We need to address it. We need a massive education program. We need mass stop and search. We need mentors. We need people to go into prisons.
"We need to give kids something more positive to do. We've got too many people in this generation who have no hope, no values, and often no value in their own lives.
"So if they've got no value of their own life, they do not think twice or take in another's life. And often it's the police officers that have to challenge these people.
Norman Brennan urged the government to take knife crime seriously
GB News
"We need a big wake-up call and a massive education initiative put into place."
Speaking at a press conference on Monday evening, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy confirmed the deaths, as well as that two adults were also critically injured in the attacks.
Reacting to the attack, the Prime Minister said the events today were "just truly awful", and that the whole country was "deeply shocked at what they've seen and heard".
Police at the scene in SouthportPASir Keir Starmer said: "I know I speak for the whole country when I say our thoughts and condolences are with the victims, their families, their friends and the wider community.
"It's almost impossible to imagine the grief and the trauma that they're going through."
The PM also thanked emergency services for their "professionalism" in their response to the "unthinkable" circumstances.