Knife crime in Briton

[quandary121]

From The Times

July 5, 2008


Knife crime to replace terror as police priority

(Lewis Whyld/PA)



500 knives were seized during Scotland Yard’s Operation Blunt






Adam Fresco, Crime Correspondent


div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited {color:#06c;}Knife crime has overtaken terrorism as the No 1 priority for the Metropolitan Police, one of Britain’s most senior officers said yesterday.
Deputy Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson announced the form-ation of a special knife-crime unit to address the recent spate of fatal stabbings in London as he admitted that moves to stop teenagers carrying weapons were not working.
The unit, featuring specialist officers from across the capital, will target known gang members and their associates who may be carrying or supplying knives. It will also conduct random searches.
Sir Paul’s announcement came after a 16-year-old boy became the eighteenth teenager to die a violent death in the capital this year. There were 26 youth murders in 2007.
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Shakilus Townsend called out for his mother as he lay dying in a street in Thornton Heath, South London, on Thursday. He was ambushed by masked teenage boys who attacked him with a baseball bat and a knife with a 30cm blade. A young girl with the gang watched his murder.
In an attempt to stem the growing number of young deaths, senior police in the capital have been told to divert officers from other tasks to focus on tackling knife crime. Speaking at a Metropolitan Police Association co-ordination and policing committee meeting yesterday, Sir Paul said: “These measures reflect that tackling knife crime is the No 1 priority for the Met at this time.”
Earlier this year, Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, had said that only terrorism posed a greater threat than youth violence to London.
Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor for Policing, said he was extremely pleased that the police were focusing on the issue. In May the Metropolitan Police launched Operation Blunt 2, a high-profile initiative to tackle knife crime that involved taking airport-style metal detectors and using special powers to search youths for knives within high-risk areas.
Since then 27,000 people have been searched, 1,200 arrested and 500 knives seized. Of those arrested, 95 per cent have since been charged with weapons offences.
Last Sunday Ben Kinsella, 16, died after being stabbed “numerous times” having apparently become caught up in an argument that spilt out of a pub in Islington, North London. His death prompted family and friends to stage a demonstration, urging young people to shun the knife culture.
Sir Paul said: “Sadly, in recent days, more young people have lost their lives to knife crime. This is not tolerable and clearly the message is not getting through.”
The dedicated 75-strong task force will be made up of officers from the Territorial Support Group, traffic and dog sections and specialist detectives.Cindy Butts, deputy chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, welcomed the initiative. “It would be wholly wrong if the Met had not responded to the further dreadful murders that have happened this week,” she said.
Police have tried several approaches to reach out to youngsters involved in knife crime: persuasion, coercion and even shock tactics. In May, Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, announced a £5 million package to tackle violent crime, with action to crack down on knives in hotspots across Britain. Every initiative has failed to stop the stabbings in the capital.
Ministers, the Mayor of London and senior policemen have all made it clear that they need the help of communities in London if they are to have greater success. Yesterday, Sir Paul again appealed for help.
“Everyone is being affected by what is going on and we all have to work together to get the message across that carrying knives has got to stop,” he said. “We need to broadcast the message quite simply: if you carry a knife, you are likely to be caught, you will be charged and you will be likely to go to prison.”


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4269818.ece

 

[quandary121]

Thugs committing 350 knife assaults EVERY DAY, as blade menace spreads to rural areas


By Stephen Wright and Nicola Boden
Last updated at 4:56 PM on 17th July 2008

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...lts-EVERY-DAY-menace-spreads-rural-areas.html

Young victim: Ben Kinsella, 16, was stabbed to death in June

Thugs are committing more than 350 knife assaults every day across England and Wales, latest crime figures reveal.
Results from the British Crime Survey showed nearly 130,000 attacks took place last year - a figure which does not include those against under-16s.
Separate figures recorded by police forces reveal 22,000 serious knife assaults including 231 attempted murders, almost 14,000 robberies and more than 8,000 woundings.
Ministers welcomed the annual figures which showed a nine per cent drop in overall crime last year, and claimed the steady downward trend in recent years was the most impressive in modern times - including a 12 per cent fall in all violent crime last year.
But they acknowledged serious public concerns over knife crime, following a spate of horrific murders in recent months, many involving young victims in inner city areas.
Firearms offences recorded by police rose 2 per cent last year to reach a total of 9,803, while homicides were up three per cent to 784.
The latest figures show how the shadow of 'Blade Britain' has spread from urban areas to the shires.
Hundreds of knife offences are being committed in county force areas including Devon and Cornwall, Hampshire, Kent, Staffordshire, Cheshire and Northumbria.

Crime statistics released by the Government today show the overall crime rate has fallen nine per cent, but for the first time the number of serious violent offences involving blades is broken down.

What emerges is a national map of knife crime across England and Wales which demonstrates how provincial areas are being hit by the problem.

As first revealed by the Daily Mail this morning, 22,151 serious crimes involved knives and sharp instruments in the financial year to March 2008.

This figure, equivalent to 60 offences a day, does not include an estimated 250 fatal stabbings, which are counted separately by the Home Office.

There were 231 attempted murders, 13,887 robberies and 8,000 woundings where the offenders used blades to some degree.


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Ian Johnston, president of the Police Superintendents' Association, said: 'The public needs to understand this is not just a London or inner-city problem. It is a serious problem all over the country.

'While we welcome many of the initiatives which have been announced, they are mainly for the medium or long term.

'There is now a need for radical, short-term solutions. Serious consideration should be given to the idea of introducing a minimum prison sentence for carrying a knife. I believe this would have a dramatic impact.'

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Mr Johnston called for more robust stop-and-search tactics.

'We must get back to the time when members of the public accept that even if they have done nothing wrong, and are not carrying a knife, they must not object to a police officer questioning them and in some cases searching them,' he said.
'The police need the public support from all communities to do that.'
Recorded crime figures show firearms offences increased two per cent to 9,803, drugs offences rose 18 per cent and murders rose three per cent to 784.
But overall, the survey shows crime has fallen leaving people two per cent less likely to be a victim of crime - now at 22 per cent.
This is the lowest level recorded since the British Crime Survey began in 1981, according to the Home Office.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she was 'extremely pleased' with the figures and that the Government's priority was to build on it for the future.

Ian Johnston, president of the Police Superintendents' Association called for more robust stop-and-search tactics

But the reduction belies people's fears of knife crime after a spate of stabbings across Britain since the start of the year.

Roughly a third of non-fatal knife offences, 7,409, were committed in London, which has recently been hit by a series of horrific stab murders involving teenagers. Greater Manchester (2,294) and West Midlands (2,303) have the next biggest knife crime figures.

But of particular concern to detectives, politicians and parents is the extent of Britain's knife problem in provincial forces.

For the first time, the Home Office has collated data on categories of violent crime where a knife has been used, including attempted murder, wounding with intent, grievous bodily harm and robbery.

Of the 22,151 knife crimes in England and Wales last year, 231 related to attempted murders; 5,248 were cases of wounding with intent; 2,785 were cases of grievous bodily harm; 2,359 related to robbery of business property and a further 11,528 were connected to the robbery of personal property.


Devon and Cornwall Constabulary recorded 288 offences where a blade or sharp instrument was used to stab, to cut or in threat.

Avon and Somerset had 360 such offences last year, Kent 327, Hampshire 388, Staffordshire 219, Cheshire 224 and Northumbria 351.
Dorset, with just 43 knife crime offences, had the lowest figures for a provincial force.
Although the statistics cover only England and Wales, they are mirrored by a similar pattern in Scotland, where knife crime has spread beyond major cities such as Glasgow.

Paul Gilligan, left, 31, who was stabbed to death in Manchester on Sunday, and Londoner David Idowu, 14, who died on July 7 of stab wounds

Officers have become increasingly concerned about the way blades have become a weapon of choice for a new generation of teenage thugs.

Casualty doctors believe knife crime is far more widespread in the country than official figures suggest because scores of victims who seek treatment in hospitals leave without making a formal complaint to police.

Alf Hitchcock: Calling for cross party efforts to find a long-term solution to knife crime

Knife attacks ended six lives in 24 hours in London last week, leading to an unprecedented statement from Scotland Yard aimed at reassuring the public.
As part of a crackdown on knife crime, Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alf Hitchcock has been appointed national knife crime czar to oversee police efforts in eight 'hotspots'.

In an exclusive interview with the Mail on Monday, Mr Hitchcock called for cross-party efforts to find a long-term solution.

'We've seen the problem of violence among young people getting worse,' he said. 'But it's not just knife crime. Knife crime is just symptomatic of larger issues.

'Of course we in the police are doing what we can to crack down - but policing cannot be the whole answer. After all, if we were able to stop and search every youngster estimated to be carrying a knife today, and they were all to be sent to prison, we'd be talking of tens of thousands.'

Gordon Brown called Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, to Chequers on Saturday for urgent talks about the knife epidemic.

The Prime Minister urged him to make full use of new police powers to make pubs and clubs search customers for knives and guns.

Dominic Grieve, Tory Shadow Home Secretary, said the figures proved that knife crime affects the whole country and that targeting hotspots was inadequate.

Detectives expect the murder figures to be similar to 2006/2007, when a sharp instrument was used in 258 of the 734 unlawful killings recorded by police.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...lts-EVERY-DAY-menace-spreads-rural-areas.html

 

[Scott Free]

Thanks for the heads up quandary! I now intend to teach my child how to knife fight properly. Knowledge is power and at the end of the day all that matters to me is that she is left standing. To ensure that, she needs to be skilled in the art. There are many good books and videos on this topic. I recommend everyone start training their children today so they don't become victims. Paladin Press

 

[dirtylinder]

Thanks for the heads up quandary! I now intend to teach my child how to knife fight properly. Knowledge is power and at the end of the day all that matters to me is that she is left standing. To ensure that, she needs to be skilled in the art. There are many good books and videos on this topic. I recommend everyone start training their children today so they don't become victims. Paladin Press

This is the best thing to do....imagine a unskilled knifer attacking one that is skilled...bye bye

 

[quandary121]

Britain on alert for deadly new knife with exploding tip that freezes victims' organs



Last updated at 11:06 AM on 17th July 2008
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ding-tip-freezes-victims-organs.html#comments


Senior police officers have been warned to look out for a new knife which can inject a ball of compressed gas into its victim that instantly freezes internal organs.

The 'wasp knife', which can deliver a ball of compressed gas capable of killing its victim at the press of a button, may be heading for Britain, the Metropolitan Police fear.

A needle in the tip of the blade shoots out the frozen ball of gas which instantly balloons to the size of a basketball, freezing organs.
The Metropolitan Police have told colleagues in the West Midlands to be on the lookout for the blade, which is designed to kill sharks and bears.

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Police fear that the 'wasp knife' - designed to kill bears and sharks - may soon hit the streets of Britain
Police are concerned that the £200 weapon could fall into the wrong hands.
The American-made weapon is sold to hunters and divers and injects the frozen gas when the small handle-mounted trigger is pressed.


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The manufacturer describes it as perfect for downed pilots, soldiers and security guards and boasts that it will "drop many of the world's largest land predators".
It can snap-freeze all tissue and organs in the area surrounding the blast.
A source close to West Midlands Police said: "The Met is obviously concerned about this and that is why they have circulated the information.
"This knife will almost certainly kill and the Met must have intelligence that they are in circulation.
"I think it is only a matter of time before one of these is used because the internet makes it much easier to find and buy weapons like this."

Labour MP for Perry Barr in Birmingham, Khalid Mahmood, said: "Weapons like this are absolutely disgraceful and there is no reason at all why people should be walking around the streets with them.
"There should be high-profile operations and high-profile arrests against anybody caught with them. The way to tackle the wider issue of knife crime is with effective community policing, which the West Midlands force does very well.
"The Met could pick up on the lessons from West Midlands Police in its excellent community work in places like Handsworth, Aston and Lozells."

The Wasp injection website states: "The effects of the compressed gas not only cause overinflation during ascent when used underwater, but also freezes all tissues and organs surrounding the point of injection on land or at sea."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ife-exploding-tip-freezes-victims-organs.html