Mr Hunter made the call after being sent figures for prosecutions that were uncovered in Parliament by Chris Huhne MP, the Liberal Democrat's Shadow Home Secretary. The figures reveal that:
• Only 71 people have been successfully prosecuted for selling knives to children in the last five years
"This is a completely inadequate deterrent to unscrupulous shop keepers who flout the law by selling these weapons to children and young people. Tiny fines and a lack of custodial punishment is the wrong signal to those who profit from the illegal sale of knives." said Mr Hunter.
"These figures are particularly worrying as they came to light only days after the release of other figures showing 2,294 serious crimes in Greater Manchester Police Authority area in 2007/8 involved a knife, that's 20% of all serious crimes.
"These figures do not record children and young people separately but they do show that knife crime is a serious problem. It is too easy for children and young people to get hold of knives. Too many are being drawn into a culture of carrying and using knives.
"Liberal Democrats believe that the courts must take a much stronger stand against those who are fuelling knife crime by illegally selling knives to children and young people. Cutting the supply of knives will be one of the most effective ways to reducing knife crime in the first place."
