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PM promises fresh measures to tackle knife crime



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Published Date: 12 July 2008
By MICHAEL HOWIE
GORDON Brown has pledged to introduce measures to tackle knife crime following a weekend where at least 17 people were stabbed across the country.
The Prime Minister said the attacks were "shocking and tragic" and promised a "cross-government youth crime plan" would be published next week.

On Thursday, Kenny Mac-Askill, the Justice Secretary, signalled that knife crimes could be subject to tough new sentencing guidelines in Scotland.

Meanwhile, Sir Ian Blair, the head of the Metropolitan Police, warned there were no quick fixes, after four men were stabbed to death in London in less than 24 hours. He said his officers were doing "everything possible", but added that everyone must pull together to end the "unacceptable violence".

Among the London deaths was a 19-year-old killed after a row at a bedsit – the 20th teenager to die violently in the city this year. A fifth man was seriously ill in hospital after he was stabbed in the back and stomach in a suspected domestic attack.

Last week, the Metropolitan Police announced the formation of a 75-strong unit dedicated to tackling knife crime.





The full article contains 194 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 11 July 2008 9:48 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Knife culture
 
1

Kipling,

@DoomRay 12/07/2008 02:32:03
They'll "pull together" & stop them -- and next the judges will let them off with a caution. And if the judges do actually jail 'em, and if an empty comfy cell can be found to actually put them in, the prisons will release them on parole early simply to give space to the next lot.
2

Guga II,

Rockall 12/07/2008 06:19:25
Maggie Broon will be trying to figure out a way to tax them.
3

The Former Mr. Angry,

Perth 12/07/2008 10:02:56
It's shocking and tragic all right and has been allowed to fester as a problem for too long. Solution?

1) Dunp the EC Human Rights tragedy which has been used to defend morons for far too long.
2) Make prison regime much much tougher and include hard work instead of the cushy number. Reintroduce slopping out as the prisons will be pretty crowded.
3) Automatic long jail sentences for knife carriers and those tempted to use them.

It's simple - if you "reward" people with lenient sentences and no punishment they think it's OK. You can influence their behaviour by having the demarcation line between right and wrong spelled out in no uncertain terms. Oh - and stop and search no matter who they are, which race, creed, gang whatever. No more "respect" shown to those who would happily murder.
4

JayDeeTee,

12/07/2008 14:40:16
If you carry a knife with no reasonable excuse you should be given a mandatory 10 year jail sentence in Siberia under Russian guard.

Problem solved.
5

henrymanchester,

UK 12/07/2008 21:43:25
Until Political Correctness takes a back seat and the government comes clean and admits this is mainly a west Indian/African cultural problem we will all continue to bleed in the streets.

I guess when new Labour leave power and have to walk around without all those bodyguards we pay for we'll start hearing the cries of the left then?
6

Kipling,

@DoomRay 12/07/2008 22:27:25
What the kids need are anger & impatience management classes-- that control in the face of disrespect or provocation signifies strength & not weakness. One problem with changing the perception of these youths must be the constant capitalistic promotion of violent games where a hit allows the game player to go up levels/ win/ be superior. The researchers who say that there is no connection I suspect come from the same caste as those who produce the relevant horrific computer artwork and write the storylines. Another problem surely is the pushing of expensive brand names & the competitiveness to possess the latest gadget/shoes/etc. Used to be called 'keeping up with the Joneses'. If you're out of work or at school or on a low income the temptation must be very great to do anything to get these things. Patience is another virtue in short supply (patience? isn't that a boring card game?)-- everything has to be provided or happen instantly. Unfortunately under NuLabor the ability to cope with failure has been shunted off the curriculum as noone is allowed to 'fail' now, particularly if you come from certain sectors of society.
7

david hill,

huddersfield & Bern 14/07/2008 16:00:10
When I was a young man there was in-fighting within schools but usually nowhere else of significance in comparison. Boys predominately had their skirmishes to prove who was the toughest in the school. Although this will be the same today (the law of the jungle and one's assertion over another human being), in my day there were no major gangs and no knife crime. In those days we used our fists and when someone was beat, we backed off and that was the end of it.
Now we have a young society that goes out ad hoc to not just prove a point, but to do whatever is necessary to stop someone they may not like.
The difference to then and now is down to economics. In my day I could go from one job to the next at will (even the most uneducated young school leavers got jobs then, if they wanted a job). Today we are in the situation where there are not the jobs for the uneducated. In this respect in the 60s, building, engineering and textiles were booming. But since then due to continuous government policies to get everyone to university and into higher education et al, this strategy has changed the economic landscape of Britain forever. In this respect they have left behind the industry jobs that manufacturing once provided and thereby unknowingly created the gangs and violence that we see today.
In their quest to provide a knowledge-based economy, successive governments have not understood the ramifications of adopting a fit all strategy. Indeed, to provide jobs for the young ones now without qualifications is impossible and thus we have the culture that we see today with all its violence.
What successive governments should have been doing is investing in high-tech manufacturing where the young unqualified people could operate machines by the touch of a button, as most advanced plants operate today. Unfortunately governments again have invested and pinned their hopes predominantly in the service industries where there just are not sufficient jobs created. Therefore to change
8

david hill,

14/07/2008 16:00:57
Continuation of comment

Therefore to change the present horrendous situation and provide the jobs that the young and disillusioned cannot obtain, we have to have a more balanced economy where all are allowed to participate. Until governments understand this we shall have the problems that we all see today with youth crime. Jobs are the answer but where successive governments have got it all wrong in the past.
I therefore blame government and government alone for the situation that we see and no others.
Dr David Hill
World Innovation Foundation Charity

 

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