A KEY police officer has warned that the increasing problem of knife crime in the UK "will not be solved quickly".

GMP's assistant chief constable Rob Potts was speaking after a week of high profile incidents, including the death of Yousef Makki, 17, who was attacked on Saturday night in Hale Barns, South Manchester.

He said: “Greater Manchester Police will be continuing to run operations to tackle knife crime over the coming weeks and months, incorporating a range of policing tactics including hotspot targeting and stop and search methods as well as working with partners to better understand why people are carrying knives while educating them of the consequences of doing so.

“The problem of knife possession is not going to be properly resolved quickly but I hope that the tragic loss of a 17-year-old boy’s life will bring home to people the potential outcome that follows from the carrying and use of knives.

“I also hope parents will also take note and open up that conversation with their children about carrying knives - better an awkward conversation now than a devastating one later.”