US President says defunding police not the answer to gun violence

Joe Biden has addressed gun violence during a speech at the New York City Police Department, saying reducing crime will not be achieved by defunding the police

Biden announced an additional 350 million dollars to be put into cutting crime, in terms of social services and says shrinking or closing down police departments is not the answer.

The New York Mayor Eric Adams also spoke in Manhattan highlighting that Americans want “justice, safety and prosperity, and they deserve every bit of it”.

The city’s governor also announced her commitment to stopping the flow of illegal firearms into the state from other regions with more relaxed gun laws.

80 per cent of guns in New York are sourced illegally from other states.

Governor Hochul says the government has the resources and the will to create this change that citizens are calling for.