Seeing that headline on newsagents' boards last night, I was naturally worried that I might be viciously stabbed to death while walking home from Asda.
http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/08/18/k...orough-doubles/However, the fuss is that there were 18 knife crimes in Oswestry last year, up from 9 the previous year. A small number has doubled, resulting in another small number. A trend going the wrong way, but let's keep things in perspective!
I think as the press run out of stories and glorify this subject, the problem can only get worse. Kids have been carrying knives from their invention I think, I used to carry a knife for fishing when I was younger. I work with young people and as knife possession snowballs, they feel the need to defend themselves, who else can, their parents seemed to have failed them in the education of the danger, the Police, I doubt it! In the fifties and sixties it seemed to be worse mods and rockers carried all manner of offensive weapons that were often in evidence; coshes and flick knives being favoured and every year we used to see the 'Battle of Hastings' re-enacted by this subculture. It is a problem but the kids themselves seem to be sorting it out as peer pressure from the majority denounce and it is a minority practice. Unfortunately most kids seemed to be tarred by the same brush here, as is the norm nowadays by some of us nannied lot!
You are right Andy,i can remember the Teds back then,and they did indeed carry knifes,but to my knowledge there were never 28 people killed in less than ONE year from knifes.The threat of going to Borstal was a real deterrent at the time,no such harsh punishment exists today.
I am not sure about crime figures then Avronb but certainly in the East End of London say the times were definately worse with more gun killings as well as knives,older gangs maybe but stll reckless. I dont think Borstal was the answer either, how many Borstals are there in Europe or elswhere in the 'civilised' world? We need to look too Denmark, Sweden, Holland and Germany to look at family stability and learn from it. Kids in this country are the most unhappiest in Europe, some people are failing their parental role. I can tell you through stats say some of the young offenders sent to Borstals re-offended then went through the penal system and definately now young people sent to Youth Offending Institutions which are overcrowded and seem more like places of learning for offenders to commit further crimes when released. These places take away all independance which is obvioulsy necessary but offenders have been known to re-offend to get back into them because they feel protected by the system, totally institutionalised.
