Opinion | Editorials
Countering the UK's knife culture
London police see threat of teenage attacks as second only to the terror threat
- Gulf News
- Published: 23:48 May 30, 2008
London is in the grip of a stabbing epidemic, especially among the young, according to the Metropolitan police. They consider the threat of teenage knife attacks as second only to terror in the danger it poses to the British capital. Action is being taken on the ground with a stop and search policy and an advertising campaign showing the graphic reality of knife injuries. Statistics make for grim reading with 14 teenagers killed so far this year, a figure sickeningly similar to last year's toll which claimed the lives of 27 young people.
There is no instant solution but there are steps that can be taken, especially in schools where educating young people on the dangers of knives must be made a priority. Of course parents are ultimately to blame for the behaviour of their children and making them criminally liable might ensure stricter discipline at home. A greater police presence on the streets would also be of major benefit but measures such as these must be backed up by legislation curtailing the sale of pocket knives. In some attacks kitchen knives have been used but the knife culture is spreading because of the relatively easy availability and "glamour" attached to certain types of knives.
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