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10 Downing Street joins in anti-knife petition

The petition organised by Barking and Dagenham Borough Council, St Elisabeth's Church and the Barking and Dagenham Post to stop shops selling knives to children has received a huge boost, with the petition now being posted on the 10 Downing Street website. Now anyone can click on the website to add their support.

The petition will be open until Saturday 8 November 2008, and then it will be formally handed into the Prime Minister.

Councillor Val Rush, Executive Member for Community Safety, said:

"It is crucial that as many people as possible sign this petition, it has been very well supported by the local community with almost 3,000 signatures. It is now imperative that as many people as possible click onto the Number 10 website and show their support. The petition will close on the 8 November, so there is no time to lose."

Anyone will be able to click on the 10 Downing Street website and sign it. They will be asked to give their name and address and an email address for verification. The system is designed to identify duplicate names and addresses, and will not allow someone to sign a petition more than once.

If people sign the petition they will be sent an email asking them to click a link to confirm that they have signed the petition. Once they have done this, their name will be added to the petition.

There is no difference between this e-petition and a conventional paper petition, only the way in which the signatures are collected and delivered. A petition can gather names and addresses in either or both forms.

The Council considers that, in order to tackle weapon culture among young people, the Government must do everything it can to restrict their access to knives. This is why the petition was launched to change the law and remove this defence, forcing shops to take their responsibilities seriously.

When a serious petition closes, usually provided there are 200 signatures or more, officials at Downing Street will ensure a response to the issue raised.

For further information on the petition, contact John Stormont, Press Officer, on 020 8227 2327 or email john.stormont@lbbd.gov.uk.

10 Downing Street knife sales petition|

Tuesday 26 August 2008.

Councillor Val Rush

Councillor Val Rush with the petition

Contact

Marketing and Communications

Civic Centre

Rainham Road North

Dagenham

RM10 7BN

Tel: 020 8227 2106

Fax: 020 8227 2112

Textphone: 020 8227 2685

Email: press@lbbd.gov.uk|