Biden backs funding more police to fight crime wave
President Joe Biden has unveiled a plan that includes funding more police to combat a nationwide surge in homicides, which he blamed on lax gun control.
He said officials in high crime areas can hire more law-enforcement personnel using coronavirus relief funding.
Mr Biden's crime-fighting strategy calls for curtailing rogue gun dealers and firearms trafficking.
Republicans are depicting Mr Biden's Democrats as weak on crime, amid calls by left-wingers to defund the police.
Announcing his five-point strategy at the White House on Wednesday, the president urged cities and states to use $350bn (£250bn) of funding from a Covid-19 relief bill on public safety efforts, including adding more police officers, even beyond pre-pandemic levels.
"It means more police officers, more nurses, more counsellors, more social workers or community violence interrupters to help resolve issues before they escalate into crimes," the president said.
Some members of Mr Biden's party have amplified calls by Black Lives Matter activists to defund the police, though the president himself has resisted the slogan, which is unpopular with most voters.
In unveiling his anti-crime plan, Mr Biden said: "This is not a time to turn our backs on law enforcement or our communities."
Unless tamed, the crime wave is likely to become a major issue ahead of next year's congressional mid-term elections.
During his remarks at the White House, the president also took aim at armed militias, saying those who believe they need weapons to move against the federal government would "need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons".
The Biden administration has made gun control a central plank in stemming violent crime, though Democratic proposals in Congress to limit Americans' access to firearms have been blocked by Republicans.
The administration's strategy also proposes investing in community violence intervention programmes, employment opportunities and summer activities for teenagers and young adults, and support for formerly incarcerated Americans re-entering their communities.
The president recently hosted several big city mayors at the White House for a discussion on crime prevention.
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