NORFOLK - What’s the solution to the spate of shootings and violence that appears to be on the upswing in Richmond and across the state?

Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin believes beefing up currently beleaguered and undermanned law enforcement agencies and investing in witness protection and local crime prevention initiatives is the best way to go.

On Monday, the governor came to Norfolk to roll out Operation Bold Blue Line as he dubbed his action plan to address the apparent surge in violence that has increased local cries for help and support.

His plan would mostly pour funding into police pay, recruiting and equipment in a bid to attract more people to carry a badge, though much of his proposal will need to wait for funding approval.

He also wants to speed up training of new hires, push for funding from the General Assembly to aid victims and witnesses and push increased state support for local programs that work to address the root causes of crime.

His plan, though, does not include support for commonwealth’s attorneys, the lawyers who prosecute crime, so they can fill their vacancies.

That’s the reason Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi participated in another event and was among many prosecutors who stayed away.

He said he watched the press conference but felt the plan did little to address the problems prosecutors are facing, a shortage of staff.

“If the governor and attorney general wanted to help local prosecutors, they would support the full funding of local prosecutor’s offices,” he said.

Mr. Fatehi was disappointed that instead, the governor blamed him and others for contributing to the current conditions through what the governor described as a failure to prosecute to “keep violent offenders behind bars.”

Such statements do nothing to address crime, Mr. Fatehi said, but instead just “widen the gap between the prosecutors who are doing this job every day and a non-lawyer like Glenn Youngkin or a man who spent two years mostly prosecuting misdemeanors like Jason Miyares,”

Critics of the proposal also noted that the governor’s package did not give any attention to what they consider the main reason for rising violent crime – the proliferation of guns, particularly into the hands of younger teens.

“If the governor was serious about curbing violent crime, he would focus his efforts on getting guns off the street,” said Gianni Snidle, a spokesperson for the Virginia Democratic Party that has made modest gun control a key plank in its public safety agenda along with support for police.

Mr. Snidle said that instead, Gov. Youngkin and his Republican allies have fought laws that impose limits on the number of handguns people can buy each month, block firearms from some public places and prevent people who commit violent crimes from having access to firearms.

The Republican chief executive rolled out his five-step plan in reacting to shootings wreaking havoc in various localities, including the eight shootings last weekend in Richmond that left two people dead and sent 10 wounded people to the hospital.

“Across Virginia, people wake up and turn on the morning news to hear story after story of violence in their communities: homicides, shootings, and aggravated assaults,” he said.

At the same time, he said, “Virginia’s blue line is getting too thin,” citing a nearly 40 percent vacancy rate in some police departments, a 20 percent vacancy rate in sheriff’s departments and shortage of 250 state troopers.

Joined by Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and Attorney Gen. Jason S. Miyares and a host of law enforcement representatives, the governor said his plan provides “clear, actionable steps to make our communities safer,” although most will take time to implement and some would need General Assembly agreement.

He said his plan builds on the “common themes that have emerged from 14 meetings the Violent Crimes Task Force held across the state.”

His No. 1 step would involve “finally fixing pay and wage compression,” which has led new hires to make nearly the same pay as veterans. He did not specify the cost that could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars and require legislative agreement.

He also wants the legislature to increase funding to Richmond and other cities and counties whose policies support com- munity policing and promote violence reduction tactics.

Gov. Youngkin also is proposing to spend $30 million on a wide-ranging recruitment campaign to help local sheriffs and police departments and the State Police rebuild depleted ranks. That funding also would go to support creation of what he called a new eight-week training program to enable those with experience to more quickly earn state certification.