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Introduction
An increasing number of teenagers in the UK appear to be carrying knives for use on each other. We would like to ask ourselves whether this perception is correct, or is there a climate of fear created by the British media? Why do some teenagers do this and what effect is this having on UK society? What are the possible solutions to this problem? These are some of the questions that are in every Briton’s mind.
Since time immemorial knives have been in use for either killing or inflicting harm to oneself or another person through the number of crimes involving knives in Britain today is alarming especially when these crimes are committed by teenagers. The number of teenagers in the UK carrying knives for use on each other has slowly been increasing during recent years and the media is not publishing stories about knife crimes out of the blues; it is so real that this has become a national issue and is in plain view for all to see (Andrew et al).
Main body
According to the British Crime Survey, last year alone, out of all the crimes committed which totaled 129,840, violent crime involving the use of a knife accounted for 6%. According to police records in England and Wales, attempted murders, robberies, and inflicted injuries involving the use of knives amounted to 22,000. The most worrying cities in the UK are London, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands where 50% of the 22,000 knife crimes were reported. The official figures in statistics indicated that knife crimes in London were being committed after every 4 minutes last year were and 17 teenagers have been killed by stubbing since January. The most affected age group is between the ages of 16 years and 19(Hamilton).
The survey continues to indicate that these teenagers are no respecters of age and they stab even their fathers and mothers where the latest incident was the stabbing of a 23-year-old woman in London. It has now become so much serious a crime that even the British government has introduced new legislation to deal with the offenders where it has set a jail term of 4 years as the maximum sentence for possessing a knife if a person is found possessing one and he/she is under the age of 18.
I tend to disagree with the legislators on the issue of setting stiffer penalties. Instead, they should come up with ways of trying to reduce knife crimes and protecting the citizens from such offenders. The writing is on the wall for all of us to see, the situation is a reality and there is no point in arguing that there is a climate of fear that is being created by the media (www.insight-security.com ).
The rise in knife crimes is becoming a hard task to contain since knives are everywhere and one does not require having a license to carry one; for one to carry a gun a license is a must giving reasons for requiring it. These knives are everywhere and are capable of inflicting any sort of injury, costing little to obtain across all ages by everyone. Another cause of the increase in knife crimes is the lack of proper parenting where teenagers have no role models at home and hence they result in seeking the comfort of gangs. Most of the convicted knife crime offenders claim that they have no adult role model and they end up in trouble when they have no one to direct them.
The proper upbringing at home is lacking leading to juvenile teenagers where police cannot deal with the disaster alone without the help of the parents (www.usatfbmf.com ). The whole society is blamed for this problem; the collective responsibility by the society is a virtue that has gone to the dogs. Knife crime has become an acceptable norm and in fact, we have come to be desensitized to it.
Another cause of the rise in knife crime is the lack of proper or inadequate education. When teenagers are not in school they may resort to engaging in crimes and ‘gunships in search of protection and confidence now that they are on their own. In the process of this search for protection, the only cheap way is to buy knives as their security blanket that serve well to their needs of ‘protecting themselves. It has been argued that a society that is not morally upright lacks economic development (www.usatfbmf.com ). Our schools are lacking in the part of social education where moral and ethical lessons have been replaced with technology and information lesions.
Instead of the government coming up with good curriculums that cater to social sciences, it is finding ways in which legislation should be passed regarding licenses to carry knives. At this age of teenage-hood, a sense of identity troubles many and if there are no proper set mechanisms of fighting this on the part of our parents, then the teenagers will try to seek their identity and belongingness in the already troubled gangs (www.usatfbmf.com ).
The teenagers seek recognition and direction from the members of the gang whose opinions and ideas are a result of peer pressure and influence. These gangs come up with enough people coming up and forming a group. Such a group has its own ‘ideologies’ and as a result, rivalry may result from the various gangs; they solve their conflicts by the blade and hence one must always be prepared by carrying a knife. When such gangs meet, they want to show their might, they end up taking the laws on their hands using knives. It is easier today in the UK to find a suiting gang than to find a job. A new culture and a new fashion should also be blamed for this- this is the blade and stabbing culture where it is fashionable to have a knife. These gangs justify their use of knives for revenge (Hamilton).
The media also should carry their cross for airing some programs that are not suitable for young kids. There have been films that involve a lot of crimes and if such is watched by children, they will grow up thinking that the kind of life that they watch is the ideal one and as they grow up they try to emulate such lifestyles (Andrew et al).
The effects of these knife crimes are a concern to worry about; this is a societal problem. Revenge will always result in unending conflicts among the people involved in a situation. Revenge will only result in a vicious circle of killing and destruction spree. If these teenagers are allowed to go stabbing each other, the problem will never end because if a teenager stabs a person, revenge will direct such a person who got stabbed to go and stab the one who stabbed him/her.
It becomes an eye for an eye; stab me or my friend, I stab you or your friend in return. This as a result will involve even risking the families in trying to seek justice. One lost life is a loss to the country’s economy. Teenagers who are talented and would have become very important people in the country die of just knife stab (Hamilton).
The country has been over the recent past been incurring additional expenditures whenever there is a victim of knife crime. This money that the government spends in paying hospital bills and unending court cases could have been directed to other productive projects.
The perpetrators of knife crimes when convicted end up in jail. These jailed vagabonds are at their age should be productive but now they end up being maintained in prisons by the same government they are supposed to participate in, in the process of economic empowerment. There is also the need for additional police to keep an eye on our streets, more prisons, and more judges. Our brothers and sisters, all this cost money that could else be used to build new schools to educate the young people, hospitals, and additional homes for the aged (www.usatfbmf.com ).
This situation is instilling fear in many and especially the visitors who are potential foreign investors. If there is no security in their lives, how can they invest in such a country where people are not valuing life which is priceless. Personal safety is a prerequisite for productivity and investments. If visitors are discouraged from visiting our country, then this is lost foreign currency in the tourism industry (Hamilton).
The other effect is on the victims of such crimes. How would you feel if you lost your loved one just a few minutes after having a wonderful dinner? Imagine this is not an ordinary way of losing a life, knife stab. Stabbings that result in fatalities have detrimental effects on the victims, their friends, families, and the local community at large. The trauma that the victims undergo together with their families is enough to cause a sense of insecurity and trust for their entire lives. Studies have shown that close to 83% of the knife crime victims experience trauma with some proportion of this being serious trauma. This results in fear, anger, annoyance, loss of confidence (the feeling of ‘why me’ and not so and so), feels of vulnerability, and shock (www.insight-security.com ).
With such effects, the public has now become conscious regarding the knife crime in Britain following high media coverage on the issue. People now feel with justifiable prove that knife crimes are becoming more worrying than gun crimes and the situation is getting out of hand requiring tough measures to curb it urgently. It is, however, unrealistic to expect to withdraw all knives from circulation, especially when kitchen knives and gardening knives (which all feature in violent attacks).
Those surrendering knives are of course likely to be from the more law-abiding element of the community. This matter needs serious and far-reaching solutions. The government and police cannot be accused of inactivity or complacency. Laws have been hardened, police powers to stop and search have been extended and schools have been given new powers. Doctors will probably soon decide that they should inform the police whenever an apparent victim of a knife crime comes to a hospital to have wounds seen. These are some of the means that are geared towards curbing the menace (Andrewet al).
Police initiatives such as “Operation Blunt” or “Operation Shield” seem to be genuinely welcomed by the public, whilst initiatives such as knife amnesties are viewed with more than a little cynicism, and at best viewed as a means of publicizing the dangers of knife carrying. The results of police added power of stop and search have shown the strategy is working well. 10 areas that are hard hit by this menace resulted in the confiscation of 1,600 knives and 2,500 arrests out of 55,000 stop and search operations. On the positive side, knife amnesties have at least contributed to taking thousands of weapons out of circulation. This of course comes with public sensitization on the dangers and effects of knife crimes (www.insight-security.com ).
Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith inaugurated a campaign aimed at persuading children not to carry knives even if they are doing so to defend themselves. The campaign also is aimed at persuading parents to play a bigger role in anti-knife education. It is a common belief that the media do very little in trying to turn young people off drugs, drinking, unprotected sex, cigarettes, or whatever vice that may be a problem with the youth.
Parents should come to rescue the situation by offering better parenting. The government should also be involved in this by making it compulsory for all children to attend good schools for education. It should also invest in improving the living conditions by providing good housing and well-paying jobs to these parents (www.usatfbmf.com ).
Conclusion
Schools are implementing handheld security detectors and walk-through metal detectors. These are being implemented by the council of course at great cost but are worth the effects. There is also the introduction of violence reduction units in schools and local communities that try to suppress the violence by combating the causes of gangs (drugs, violence, and alcohol). Early childhood education in trying to break the cycle of blade culture is also necessary through youth centers. Fines should be increased and the sentencing becoming severe for any convicts to serve as a lesson to potential offenders (www.insight-security.com ).
Works Cited
Andrew, G. and Nigel, M.: “U-turn blunts PM’s strategy to cut knife crime on streets”. The Independent. 2008. Pg.15.
Hamilton, F. “Another fatal stabbing, but the police ignore demands to prosecute knife offenders”. The Times (London). 2008: Pg.9.
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