Serious Crime Bill [Lords]

That would be a matter for the police to determine, though one would expect it be in a reasonably confined area. Whatever the size of the area, however, one key consideration is to ensure that police talk to and gain the confidence of the community. We want them to take the community with them in using these powers. I and other hon. Members, including my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz), the Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, have spoken to the police and want to ensure that the powers are used proportionately. It is important for the police to discuss with the local community what they are doing and why they are doing it. The police and the local community will be able to solve the problem together. Our proposals address the gap where existing powers do not apply when a serious violent incident has occurred, no further incident is anticipated and public order is not necessarily threatened by the carrying of weapons en masse. The Government new clause will extend the powers so that an authorisation under section 60 could be made in this scenario to assist the police in locating the weapon and apprehending the offender who used it, following a serious violent incident. New clauses 8 and 9 both address similar purposes, but I hope that hon. Members will agree that the Government new clause is more substantial and has greater purpose in that it effectively fills the gap that I have described. It will be more useful to the police, who have said that they welcome it, and it will be more effective at tackling gun and knife crime. I respectfully ask the hon. Member for Hornchurch not to press new clause 8. I also want to make it clear that we intend to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the police and other stakeholders. We intend to continue to keep our policy under review to ensure that the police have all the powers they need to tackle gun and knife crime, and we intend to revisit this matter if it becomes clear that further changes are required in order to meet the common objective of reducing knife and gun crime on our streets to the lowest possible level.