Lord Heseltine: I think back to Toxteth as we seek solutions to knife crime

August 1981 is a long time ago. It is etched in my memory as though it was the breaking day. Toxteth was in flames. The police were fighting to regain order with a mob of violent youth. The reaction of the public and press was predictable — support the police, maintain law and order, punish the offenders. I unhesitatingly supported the popular reaction.

There was, however, one question. Although that reaction was appropriate, was it a sufficient response? I sought Margaret Thatcher’s agreement to walk the streets of Liverpool and try to understand more of the realities with which the local police had to contend. Margaret agreed, and there began the most formative of all my experiences in government. I summarised those three weeks in a report to Cabinet entitled “It took a riot”.

The title suggested itself. It is what everyone said as they described the local circumstances which had deteriorated over time. There had been no apparent response and the riots were symptoms. There was a lack of local leadership. I became convinced that there was a need to rebalance the governance of our country. London was too much in charge.

Now knife crime is shocking the nation. The public reaction has concentrated on the role of the police. Most of the debate is about increased powers or more frequent use of existing ones such as stop and search. That is a very proper part of any reaction. It is not, however, in my opinion, a sufficient response. The police must be enabled to play their role but, let us be frank, the police did not create the conditions in which this phenomenon arose.

Search more young people, get teachers to spot potential trouble — these are examples of simplistic impositions. Whitehall can only be mobilised by detailed co-ordination and relentless progress-chasing from No 10 and no one can seriously believe there is room in the bunker at the moment for yet another crisis management team.

So as the Conservatives meet in Manchester this week, here’s an opportunity. Virtually all the major cities where knife crime is a growing threat are now headed by directly elected mayors and the balance is almost evenly split between Conservative and Labour.

The mayors are either police commissioners or are likely to be in the future. The powers of each mayor are defined by a devolution agreement. In practice, whatever the legal constraints, mayors cannot avoid questions about housing, excluded children, unemployment, skills, social services and health.

So how should they respond? The mayoral authorities, including in London, should announce their own commission of inquiry. Its composition must represent communities. It needs to secure the co-operation and confidences of the inner-city communities. There must be representations from the frontline services. The commission should report fast and make change happen.

Lord Heseltine is a former deputy prime minister